McDowell grants 17,000 right to remain applications to non-nationals

JUSTICE Minister Michael McDowell yesterday extended right to remain applications for 17,000 non-nationals until 2010 under “rigorous” conditions.

Immigrant rights supporters said the move was ambiguous, insisting it meant thousands of parents were being “forced to jump through hoops” again.

The Government agreed to process applications from non-national parents of Irish-born children under the Irish-Born Child Scheme in 2005. Some 18,000 applications were received prior to January that year, when the Citizenship Referendum came into effect.