On Monday at the Fianna Fáil think-in the Government announced what they called the “biggest reform of Ireland’s citizenship rules in a generation”.
Tomorrow, Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan will bring to Cabinet a new bill setting out onerous new rules for migrants who want to become Irish citizens.
The rules, which will affect people who already live and work here, include an eight year waiting time before applying, a block on people who have received certain social welfare payments becoming citizens, an English (or Irish) language proficiency test, and conditions around habitual residency. They will also impact spouses of Irish citizens.
Political correspondent Louise Burne joins Deirdre for a rundown of the new rules, a discussion of the political context behind them and the reaction from politics and civil society groups.
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