Irish Examiner view: Purchase scheme devalued citizenship

Ireland should have borne in mind previous tawdry schemes when the Immigrant Investor Programme was introduced

Allowing people to buy Irish citizenship devalues that citizenship and undermines Irish sovereignty abroad, because it suggests to the world at large that being Irish — or becoming Irish — is a matter of simply settling upon a fee. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Farewell then to the Immigrant Investor Programme, which is to close down this week.

For those unclear about this Government scheme, it is described as a pathway for non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals to secure an immigration permission for Ireland on the basis of long-term investment in a range of options approved by the Government.