Children who were born in Ireland but whose parents are not Irish citizens will be able to apply for citizenship within three years of residency under plans to be considered by Cabinet. Justice Minister Helen McEntee will bring a memo to Cabinet to amend the citizenship rules for children. Under current legislation, children whose parents are not Irish citizens have to wait at least five years to apply for citizenship. A referendum in 2004 saw the country vote in favour of not giving automatic citizenship rights to children born in Ireland if neither of their parents are, or are not entitled to be, Irish citizens. Almost 80pc of voters supported the amendment but the referendum result has proved controversial in recent years and led to rising debate about Irish citizenship rights.

Source: Irish Independent March 23, 2021 02:26 UTC