“Citizenship should be about belonging and participation” says Sinn Fein TD Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh after Cabinet approval. 

Criticism arises from local TDs with Irish citizenship requirements changing and Cabinet approval ahead of being passed into law. 

The new rules under the ‘Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026’, first introduced by the Government at the start of September, include increasing residency in the country before citizenship, formalising requirements on self-sufficiency, and a language test. 

Speaking on RTÉ Six One News before the approval, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said that “citizenship is a privilege, not a right”, and these decisions will bring together “common sense reasonable people” on the matter.  

Taoiseach Michael Martin has said that the added language test, taken in English, Irish, or Irish Sign Language, will align the Republic of Ireland with other EU countries.  

The residency requirement in the country will be brought from five years to eight, while Ukrainians who have come to Ireland cannot use their time under the Temporary Protection Directive as part of the eight years. 

According to Minister O’Callaghan “It was never thought that persons who came here from Ukraine, if they were here for five years, that they would be entitled to receive Irish citizenship. That would undermine the whole purpose of temporary protection, which is temporary.” 

Individuals applying for citizenship will also have to prove self-sufficiency with their finances, so as not to be “a burden on the State”, said Minister O’Callaghan.

South Kildare Labour TD Mark Wall expressed his concerns over the requirement changes on behalf of his party, especially regarding the additional three-year wait. “We see the proposal as performative politics that will do little to improve Ireland’s immigration system,” he said. “Minister O’Callaghan also needs to explain what problem an eight-year residency requirement is actually designed to solve.”  

The rule changes also apply to the other branches of the citizenship process, with the spouse residency increasing from three years to five years, and the continuous residence after applying has been increased by an extra year from the original 12 months.  

“People who have lived here for years, who work here, pay taxes here, raise their families here and contribute to their communities should have a clear and reasonable pathway to becoming Irish citizens,” said Wall. “Citizenship is an important part of successful integration. This could have a real negative impact on our ability as a nation to attract workers in critical areas.” 

Wall says that the Labour Party wants the Government to “focus instead on building a citizenship system that encourages integration, participation and a genuine sense of belonging. Ireland needs serious immigration policy, not performative politics”. 

South Kildare Sinn Féin TD Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh said she’s also concerned about the barriers individuals will face, “particularly about making the Irish language part of a more restrictive citizenship regime”.  

The language tests will be taken in English, Irish, or Irish Sign Language, while also including “a foundational Irish civics, society, and politics test.” 

“As an Irish-language activist and an Irish Republican, I want to see Irish grow as a living, welcoming language. I don’t want it weaponised as a barrier to belonging or associated with making life more difficult for people who have made Ireland their home. We should be encouraging people to learn Irish because they feel welcomed into the language and into our society, not because it has become another hurdle they have to overcome,” said Ní Raghallaigh.

“I also think we need to be careful about the wider message we send to immigrants. Citizenship should be about belonging and participation, not about continually moving the goalposts for people who have built their lives here.” 

The bill has been passed by Cabinet, but this does not mean immediate change. The bill still needs to be published, reviewed and to get the President’s signature before the act passes into law.