- Ireland plans to raise citizenship residence from five years to eight before Cabinet on September 10, 2026.
- The package adds language testing and civics requirements, plus proof of financial self-sufficiency.
- Rights groups say the retrospective rules could exclude settled migrants and Ukrainian refugees under temporary protection.
Ireland plans to raise the standard residence requirement for citizenship from five years to eight, while adding English or Irish language testing, a civics requirement and self-sufficiency conditions. The proposals are due before Cabinet on September 10, 2026.
The package would affect migrants who have already spent years in the country. It would also impose new hurdles beyond residence, including proof that applicants can support themselves financially.
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Migrant-rights organisations warned on September 7–8, 2026, that the changes could harm people who work, pay taxes and raise families in Ireland.
They said the proposals would “destroy a crucial route to integration” and could “create permanent exclusion.”
The joint statement came from Doras, the Immigrant Council of Ireland, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, the Irish Refugee Council, Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, Nasc, AkiDwA, and the Migrant and Refugee Rights Centre.
The proposed test would reach migrants already settled in Ireland
The organisations said the combined requirements would be particularly difficult for people who had already built their lives in the country. Illness, job loss and housing hardship could make it harder to meet the new financial and testing requirements.
The proposed language and civics tests would sit alongside an eight-year residence rule. Applicants would also need to show financial self-sufficiency.
The rules would apply retrospectively to migrants already living in Ireland who have not submitted citizenship applications. People close to the current five-year threshold would receive no lead-in period.
Time already spent in Ireland would count toward the new eight-year requirement. But anyone without an application lodged before the law takes effect would face the stricter standard.
The package would add several separate barriers to naturalisation
| Proposed measure | Effect described in the material |
|---|---|
| Residence | Raise the standard from five years to eight |
| Language | Require English or Irish testing |
| Civics | Add a civics knowledge requirement |
| Financial eligibility | Impose self-sufficiency conditions |
| Social protection | Limit citizenship for applicants who received certain payments before applying |
| Temporary protection | Exclude time spent in Ireland by Ukrainian refugees under temporary protection from the new eight-year total |
| Naturalised citizenship | Give the Minister power to revoke citizenship on national-security grounds |
The organisations said restrictions linked to social protection payments could exclude people who had already contributed to Irish society. The proposed treatment of Ukrainian refugees would prevent time spent under temporary protection from counting toward the eight-year total.
Minister of State for Migration Colm Brophy set out the proposals, according to accounts of the package. The Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026 was expected to go to Cabinet on Wednesday, September 10, 2026.
Cabinet consideration would be the next stated step for the bill. The proposed restrictions have already drawn criticism from groups working with migrants and refugees, particularly over their effect on applicants who have not yet filed under the existing rules.
