Approval secured for the priority drafting of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026

On 9 September 2026, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan, and the Minister of State for Migration, Colm Brophy, announced that they had secured Government approval for the priority drafting of legislation to ensure Ireland’s naturalisation legislation is strengthened and aligned with other European countries.

The Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026 (the “2026 Bill”) proposes significant changes to the current immigration framework, set out in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 (the “1956 Act”). The 2026 Bill contains a suite of amendments to reflect the Government’s policy that Irish citizenship through naturalisation is an earned privilege alongside social integration, civic participation and economic self-sufficiency.

EU Counterparts

Many of the developments contained within the proposals of this scheme are reflective of other EU countries who impose similar residence periods, with countries like Italy, Spain, Switzerland, etc. being identified as comparators.

Among EU Member States, economic self-sufficiency is a standard pillar of citizenship and many countries require applicants seeking naturalisation to demonstrate their means of subsistence, a stable income, among other things. In terms of a language requirement, this is also a similar approach adopted in many other European countries who require some form of language proficiency as part of the citizenship process. Similarly, civic participation is tested in many of our European counterparts as a means of covering an applicant’s knowledge of the State, its history and culture and also its society.

General Scheme

Just three short weeks on from Minister O’Callaghan’s announcement of the proposed changes, the Government published the General Scheme for the Government's proposed changes to the Nationality and Citizenship framework on 21 September 2026 (the “General Scheme”).

The General Scheme aims to modify aspects of the Irish legislation relating to naturalisation and immigration, while also making it difficult for individuals to obtain citizenship as easily as it once was by introducing stricter residence requirements, language barriers and self-sufficiency criteria.

Some key areas of change are:

• Individuals will require 8 years of residence in Ireland (compromising of 2 continuous years and 6 within the prior 10 years). This is increased from the prior 5 years (comprising of 1 continuous year and 4 years within the prior 8). The explanatory note here clarifies that this change is intended to encourage stronger economic and social integration before naturalisation meaning that the individual will have demonstrated a “meaningful long-term connection to the country”. 
• Individuals will now need to complete language testing in either English, Irish or Irish sign language. Prior to this announcement, there was no language testing in order to get Irish naturalisation. The standards for such language test is to be prescribed by the Minister and the method of assessment set down in the regulation. Applicants will also now be mandated to undertake a representation of their knowledge of Irish civics, society, government and politics. The testing and standards are similarly to be set by the Minister. Both enhanced tests aim to again ensure  an applicant’s commitment to the State. 
• Individuals must not be considered to be an unreasonable burden on the State (which will be measured by the Minister using CSO data). Similarly, an applicant is not permitted to be in receipt of any welfare or housing supports during a naturalisation application and will be automatically disqualified from making an application if they are in receipt. This was not the situation prior to the new proposals. The idea behind self-sufficiency is that of similar wording introduced to the family reunification process by the International Protection Act 2026. Under this section, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration will set a prescribed minimum level of income which an applicant must reach before applying for naturalisation. This will be set alongside CSO data on annual earnings and labour costs alongside cost of living.
• However, the General Scheme does propose that a Minister may grant an application for naturalisation even in circumstances where the applicant has been in receipt of a prescribed social welfare payment or a prescribed housing support for a period that does not exceed 6 months in the prior 2 year period immediately preceding the application.
• While no proposed amendments to the rules relating to seeking to naturalise through a spouse were contained in the initial announcement, the General Scheme now proposes much stricter requirements. Applicants must now be resident in Ireland for 5 years and be married for 5 years (increased from 3 years in the current regime). It is also proposed to increase the immediate residence requirements from 1 year to 2 years. Spouses will also need to meet the same language and civic requirements which the Government hope will deter any potential “marriages of convenience”. 
• Revocation of citizenship will now be widened to cover new distinct grounds relating to public order and national security, with an accelerated process. This is widened from the existing grounds under the 1956 Act. 
• Ministers do retain discretion to waive language and civic requirements for certain categories of applicants, particularly those who are vulnerable. However, one aspect which cannot be waived is the good character requirement. 
• Under the General Scheme, any immigration or nationality-related offences will now automatically prevent an applicant from obtaining citizenship. These include offences under any of the Immigration Acts, the International Protection Acts; the Free Movement Regulations; and any other specified immigration legislation. However, the General Scheme expands the Minister’s power to revoke certificates of naturalisation where considered necessary in the interests of public policy, public order or national security. It is likely that the everchanging European and international security environment can be used as the reasoning for this addition.

It is important to note that the obligation to satisfy certain conditions, such as self-sufficiency and legally resident for example, must be maintained throughout the whole naturalisation process.

Impacts for Employers

Naturally, these proposals may pose significant changes to employers, particularly those who rely on a predominantly non-EEA workforce.

At the time of writing, both the Employment Permits and Residency Permission application processes are experiencing a substantial backlog. With the increased volume of permits that will be required to allow employees to meet the 8 year threshold, there is a risk that these delays will only increase unless the Government provides appropriate funding and resources into these services.

The proposed extension of the reckonable residence period may also increase the financial and administrative commitments associated with employing non-EEA nationals. In circumstances where an employee is dependent on an employment permit, employers face additional permit renewal costs and internal resourcing requirements. Employers may also face increased financial burden in providing immigration support over a longer period of time are part of recruitment and retention arrangements.

Employers will also likely face enhanced involvement in Employment Permits Online System (“EPOS”). EPOS requires separate portal accounts for employers and employees, and applications may require input/documentation from more than one party. A longer timeframe before an employee becomes eligible for naturalisation could perhaps lead to more frequent interaction with the portal and a higher administrative burden. Employers will likely have to keep a greater monitor on expiry dates and maintaining accurate employer records with responsibility falling across teams in recruitment, payroll and human resources.

Employers that recruit significant numbers of non-EEA nationals may need to review employee planning and immigration budgets as there is likely to be an additional cost to hiring processes and additional compliance touchpoints. It can also be expected that employers will be obligated to maintain and keep records of employees’ right to work documentation for a longer period of time. At present, the current retention period is 5 years, which aligns with the old naturalisation rules.

Impact on Employees

Naturally, this proposal will be unwelcome news for any employees who are currently working in Ireland on the basis of immigration permissions/employment permits, as well as candidates who were anticipating moving to Ireland for work.  Ireland might now be viewed as a less attractive prospect given the stringency of these amendments.

It is also unclear if any grace period or transitional measures will be implemented for employees who have completed the majority of their reckonable residency prior to the new framework who would now be bound to wait a further number of years before applying for naturalisation. While the initial plan and draft legislation did not include any such accommodations, An Taoiseach Micheál Martin stated on 24 September, that the implementation of such measures is an issue that will fall for further discussion.

It is also notable that General Scheme proposes that Ukrainians who are and have been resident in Ireland under the Temporary Protection Directive (the “Directive”) will not be allowed to count this residency towards any application for naturalisation. As it stands, residency under the Directive is not excluded from reckonable residency. This is likely due to the fact that the issue of naturalising a person by virtue of the Directive has not arisen to date. However, as the Temporary Protection measures in Ireland were activated in March 2022, some recipients of the protection may soon be approaching the 5 year residency threshold. As such, this issue could become more concrete in the near future.

What’s Next?

While the implementation of any changes remains is not imminent, the Government have made it clear that this reform is a priority, as evidenced by the speed at which the General Scheme has been drafted. Before taking effect, the Bill will need to be followed by full drafting, committee review and passage through Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann before being commenced. It is may also transpire that the final provisions of the Act may differ from those outlined in the General Scheme, especially if the proposals continue to gain media attention and public outcry.

A special thanks to Sophie Cullen for her assistance in drafting this article.