More than 13,000 waiting over a year for citizenship decisions

Junior integration minister Colm Brophy said the general objective of the citizenship division was to process straightforward applications as efficiently as possible. Picture: Don MacMonagle

Nearly 10% of citizenship applications are waiting over two years for a determination, with in excess of 13,000 people waiting more than a year for a decision on their application.

Junior integration minister Colm Brophy confirmed there was “no statutory processing time for naturalisation applications” but the “objective” was to process applications as “efficiently as possible”.

It comes as the Government is preparing to overhaul its citizenship application process, including extending the reckonable residency requirement period to people seeking naturalisation from five years to eight years.

Other new requirements will include an ability to show proficiency in either English or Irish, as well as a requirement for applicants to prove they are self-sufficient and will not become a burden to the State.

It is expected the changes will be introduced by justice minister Jim O’Callaghan by the end of the year following approval at Cabinet last week.

At the time the proposed changes were announced, migrant rights groups warned the residency periods do “not account for the substantial delays that already affect the current system”.

In response to a parliamentary question from Sinn Féin TD Sorca Clarke, Mr Brophy confirmed 51,882 active naturalisation applications were being processed by the citizenship division in the Department of Justice on August 31.

Some 38,748 had been awaiting determination for less than one year.

However, 8,064 applications have been in the system for between 12 and 24 months.

Another 5,070 applications have been awaiting determination for more than two years.

Mr Brophy confirmed there was no agreed time for assessing citizenship applications.

“There is no statutory processing time for naturalisation applications. However, the general objective of the citizenship division is to process straightforward applications as efficiently as possible,” the Fine Gael junior minister confirmed.

“Citizenship processing remains a significant operational priority for my department, and I am committed to ensuring that the necessary resources and process improvements continue to be put in place to support the timely delivery of decisions.”

Mr Brophy said “no two naturalisation applications were the same and some took longer than others to process”.

He argued “robust and comprehensive checks” needed to be conducted for each application.

“Unfortunately, some checks, including international enquiries and verifications, can take a considerable amount of time and are largely outside the control of Immigration Service Delivery,” he added.

Ms Clarke, a Sinn Féin TD for Longford-Westmeath, told the Irish Examiner the system had been “left to drift”.

“Despite applications more than trebling since 2021, from 11,975 to 41,511 last year, citizenship division staffing stands at just 81 whole-time equivalents,” she said.

“I want to acknowledge that the pressure on processing times reflects a lack of resources and Government will rather than any fault of frontline staff.

“The minister's admission that there is no statutory processing time, combined with his refusal to guarantee decisions within a year, shows a system left to drift and is reflective of the Government's wider approach to immigration.”

Mr Brophy confirmed 22,055 applications had been received for citizenship so far this year.

Some 41,511 applications were received in 2025, up from 27,032 in 2024, and 22,690 in 2023.