Pressure on services as citizenship seekers face 8-year wait

THE soaring numbers of people seeking Irish citizenship is piling pressure on support services, with applications dragging on for more than two-and-a-half years.

Most applicants must have five years’ residency here before applying. On top of this, those seeking ‘naturalisation’ must wait on average an additional two-and-a-half years while applications are processed.

Immigrant support services say applicants are being left in limbo, like second- class citizens, with paperwork taking years to finish.