Over today and tomorrow, approximately 6,000 people will be granted Irish citizenship at the Convention Centre Dublin.
There will be six ceremonies held over the two days, and Minister of State with responsibility for Migration, Colm Brophy, will be joined by Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe, and Ministers of State Robert Troy and Neale Richmond.
Applicants from over 138 countries and across all 32 counties on the island will make a declaration of fidelity and loyalty to the State and become Irish citizens.
Speaking ahead of the ceremonies, Minister of State Brophy said:
“It is a great honour for me to attend these citizenship ceremonies and join so many people as they embark on this new chapter in their lives.
I know the importance of migration and the essential role it plays in the development of our nation and how it contributes to our society. I encourage each of our new citizens to continue to integrate and help create communities where everyone contributes, belongs and thrives.
I would like to congratulate all of our newest citizens, as well as their friends and family supporting them on this special day.”
Minister of Finance Paschal Donohoe added :
“Ireland’s economy has continued to grow in recent years and migration has played a key role in this development.
Our new citizens have brought skills and talents from around the world that are enhancing the capabilities of our labour market and economy and in obtaining their citizenship are committing their future to Ireland.
It is a privilege to be part of this joyous celebration and I would like to congratulate our new Irish citizens on acquiring their citizenship.”
The Presiding Officer at the ceremonies over the next two days is Judge Paddy McMahon, who will confer the attendees with Irish Citizenship. He will administer the Declaration of Fidelity to the Irish Nation and Loyalty to the State. The new Irish citizens will undertake to faithfully observe the laws of the State and to respect its democratic values.
In just over two years the Citizenship Division of the Department has gone from processing around 12,000 applications a year to processing over 20,000 applications in 2023, and nearly 31,000 in 2024.
Significant changes have been introduced in the Citizenship Division of the Department of Justice to speed up the application process for applicants, including the introduction of an online digital application, online payments, and eVetting.
As a result, processing times are now decreasing year on year. The length of time it takes to process an application has dropped from 15 months in 2023 to 8 months in 2024.
It is expected that going forward, the vast majority of applicants will continue to receive a decision within one year, however, it is important to note that no two naturalisation applications are the same and some take longer than others to process. More information on the application process is available at the following link: https://www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-a-citizen/ .
Citizenship ceremonies were first introduced in 2011 in order to mark the occasion.
Over 6,500 candidates from 138 countries have been invited to attend 6 citizenship ceremonies on Monday 15th and Tuesday 16th September at the Convention Centre Dublin.
Since citizenship ceremonies were first introduced, there has been a total of 210 ceremonies (excluding the upcoming dates) with people from over 180 countries receiving their certificates of naturalisation.
To date, including minors, approximately 215,000 people have received Irish citizenship since 2011. Following the Dublin ceremonies in June, the confirmed attendees of 6,000 will be added to this figure.
Top 10 nationalities of applicants:
|
|
Nationalities |
# Applicants |
|
1 |
India |
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|
2 |
Brazil |
608 |
|
3 |
United Kingdom |
485 |
|
4 |
Romania |
402 |
|
5 |
Poland |
361 |
|
6 |
Philippines |
318 |
|
7 |
South Africa |
213 |
|
8 |
Nigeria |
211 |
|
9 |
China (Including Hong Kong) |
173 |
|
10 |
United States Of America |
161 |