'We, as immigrants, have so little say in how we navigate the new citizenship process'

Elize de Beer: 'Ireland has been extremely good to me.'

A Cork-based South African artist has called for more transparency and empathy from the Government ahead of proposed changes to the citizenship application process.

Elize de Beer told the Irish Examiner that she could miss out on Irish citizenship by weeks if the Government changes rules by the end of the year.

Justice minister Jim O’Callaghan has proposed increasing the reckonable residency requirements for aspiring citizens from five to eight years and introducing language tests to prove they can speak English or Irish proficiently.

The changes will be scrutinised by the Oireachtas justice committee after the Halloween recess, with the Government aiming to have the changes in place by the end of the year.

Ms de Beer, who grew up in Johannesburg, moved to Cork with her husband in August 2021. He is Belgian-South African, meaning that she can live in Ireland on a Stamp 4 EU family visa.

She works as a bookbinder and visual artist, admitting that she is “really fortunate”, and her immigration status is more “privileged than others”.

“Ireland has been extremely good to me,” she said.

Ms de Beer said that when she moved, she began thinking about applying for Irish citizenship “literally from the start”.

Her Stamp 4 visa became active in early 2022, and she will become eligible to apply for citizenship in early 2027.

However, if the requirements change before the end of the year, this will delay her application by three years.

Ms de Beer said she was “disheartened” to hear the proposed changes, especially because they are “outside of your control”.

Elize de Beer has urged for exceptions for people who are at the four-year mark of their citizenship process.

“The frustration is that we can speak out as much as we want to, we have organisations backing us as immigrants, but we have no real say,” she said.

“I fully understand countries have the full right to change these laws and this legislation. I [see] nothing wrong with that.

“We, as immigrants, have so little say in how we navigate it. Those laws are there for a reason. We're so dependent on Irish citizens and how they vote and their voices for our voices to be heard.

“It was just really disheartening. It really just became a waiting game.”

Ms de Beer said she is on the cusp of applying for her citizenship, and that she thinks there is a “lack of empathy” to the new residency plans, and that ministers are essentially saying, “tough luck”.

'The goalpost shifts'

She argued that there should be exceptions for people who are at the four-year mark of their process, saying it is “not a big ask” and could be a “good compromise”.

“We make sure that everything is in on time, all the documents are there,” she said.

“Now, the goalpost shifts, and it's just disheartening. 

"With the housing crisis, it isn't an easy place to live. With inflation going up, the cost of food is going up, [and] people are in situations where it's not easy.

“People who want to stay are really making an effort to stay and doing it properly.”

Ms de Beer admitted that while she “totally understands these laws needed to be changed”, there should be “far more transparency on why” and what the “hidden costs” will be, such as language classes.

• Louise Burne, Political Correspondent