The UK government is under pressure to clarify immigration rules that human rights activists say undermine the rights of Northern Ireland-born Irish citizens under the Belfast Agreement. Les Allamby, chief commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, said changes in UK immigration laws treating people in Northern Ireland automatically as British citizens (or British subjects) “goes against the grain” of the 1998 agreement underpinning the Northern Irish peace process. Ms DeSouza said the change reaffirmed “a worrying trend” of Northern Ireland-born Irish citizens are going to be “among the only EU citizens within the UK unable to access their EU rights and entitlements”. The Co Derry woman says that Irish citizens or dual Irish-British citizens in Northern Ireland cannot apply for “settled status” as EU nationals in the UK after Brexit. Brian Gormally, director of Northern Irish human rights group Committee on the Administration of Justice, said that Brexit has opened up “a legal reality” that the UK has not legislated to protect the rights of Northern Irish citizens under the Belfast Agreement.

Source: The Irish Times April 01, 2019 19:07 UTC