889. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the level of English or Irish proficiency that he proposes applicants for citizenship will be required to demonstrate; whether this will correspond with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages; the exemptions that are being considered on age, disability or other grounds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65013/26]

894. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the provisions that will be made for individuals who are non-verbal or have other disabilities which may limit them in their ability to complete the new proposed language tests as part of the revised citizenship process; and if he will make a statement on the matter [65044/26]

895. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to consider legislating for cases in which a person who has been resident in the State for higher education that these years residing in the State are counted when applying for citizenship. [65032/26]

897. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026, a person who has started the residency needed for citizenship which currently stands at five years, will have to wait for the new proposed time of eight years. [65030/26]

899. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the matters proposed to be covered by a citizenship civic-knowledge test; if applicants will be required to demonstrate knowledge of the Constitution, democratic institutions, Irish history, rights and responsibilities of citizenship and the values of the State; the proposed pass standard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65015/26]

905. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will confirm that the proposed Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026 regarding proposed conditions as to reckonable residence, language testing, and economic self-sufficiency will apply solely to applications for a certificate of naturalisation for resident non-nationals, and will not apply to applications of citizenship by descent. [65082/26]

906. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will confirm that the proposed Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026 will make no change to the entitlement to Irish citizenship by descent under section 7 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, or to the entitlement of a person born outside the island of Ireland whose grandparent was born on the island of Ireland to become an Irish citizen on entry in the Foreign Births Register pursuant to section 7(3) and section 27 of that Act. [65080/26]

912. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if in light of the Government's proposed changes to the residency requirements for naturalisation, transitional arrangements will be put in place for persons who are already resident in Ireland and who have accumulated four years or more of reckonable residence under the existing five year citizenship eligibility framework; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65105/26]

913. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if the proposed Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026 will make no change to the entitlement to Irish citizenship by descent (details supplied); how the proposals have regard to the recognition in Article 2 of the Constitution of the special affinity of the Irish nation with people of Irish ancestry living abroad who share its cultural identity and heritage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65136/26]

914. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will include transitional protections and measures in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Amendment Bill 2026 specifically in relation to the issue of spousal visas for the naturalisations of spouses of Irish citizenships and the proposal to increase the residency requirement from three to five years [65131/26]

916. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if there will be transitional arrangements for persons who are already resident in Ireland, in regards to the Government's proposed changes to the naturalisation process, who have accumulated four years of reckonable residence under the existing rules. [65163/26]

920. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the transitional arrangements that will be in place for workers already resident in Ireland who are concerned by plans to increase residency requirements to eight years in order to obtain citizenship; if the new residency rules will apply retrospectively to those already present in the State on appropriate visas or only to those who are arrive in Ireland after its introduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter [65186/26]

922. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if his Department calculated the additional immigration-registration fees that will be paid by lawful residents as a direct result of extending the citizenship residence requirement from five to eight years; and his plans to reduce or waive those fees. [65188/26]

924. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the way in which the proposed changes to naturalisation will affect spouses, workers and so on, who are already living in Ireland for some years. [65295/26]

927. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will consider introducing legislative amendments to the upcoming Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956 to provide a pathway to citizenship for the non-EEA spouses and civil partners of Irish citizens residing abroad outside the jurisdiction, in cases where the marriage or partnership has been of long duration exceeding five or ten years. [65201/26]

938. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the way in which the Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026 has been reconciled with enterprise and IDA policy, which depends on Ireland being credible when it competes internationally for skilled workers. [65473/26]

939. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the evidence base for increasing reckonable residence from five years to eight years under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026. [65472/26]

941. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the way in which the proposed changes to naturalisation requirements for financial self-sufficiency will apply to children and young adults who were not born in Ireland but who have lived in the State for the majority or entirety of their childhood; how the proposed financial self-sufficiency requirement will be applied to young people who are still in full-time secondary or third-level education and are financially dependent on their parents; and whether parental or household income will be taken into account when assessing their financial self-sufficiency. [65488/26]

942. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if the Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026 will include a fair transitional provision protecting people who were already legally resident in Ireland and accumulating reckonable residence before this proposal was announced. [65471/26]

943. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding any flexibility that will be applied for people that are in the process of applying for citizenship prior to the imminent changes in citizenship requirements (details supplied). [65468/26]

944. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if his attention has been drawn to the concerns of those already in Ireland and in the process of applying for citizenship in relation to the imminent changes in citizenship requirements (details supplied). [65467/26]

948. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will clarify the proposed changes to citizenship and naturalisation requirements; if they will apply retrospectively to individuals and families already resident in the State and progressing through the naturalisation process; if spouses of Irish citizens will be affected; the transitional arrangements that will be put in place for applicants who made decisions to return to and reside in Ireland based on the rules in force at the time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65535/26]

958. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if there is consideration being given to decreasing the proposed naturalisation residency requirement increases for serving Defence Force members. [65606/26]

961. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to outline precisely which categories of welfare payments are planned to render an applicant ineligible for naturalisation under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026; if there are specific time limits with regard to claiming particular welfare payments that will result in ineligibility; and clarify that being in receipt of children's allowance, maternity benefit, paternity benefit, parent's benefit or similar will not make a person ineligible for naturalistion. [65743/26]

968. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if any proposed changes to the timeline or eligibility requirements for Irish citizenship will apply to people who are resident in the State under a critical skills employment permit; and if individuals who have moved to Ireland on the basis of a critical skills employment permit and have established their careers and lives in the State will be protected from any retrospective changes to the citizenship pathway. [65947/26]

969. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to ensure that any new rules introduced by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026 will not apply to existing applicants; and that they will continue to be processed according to the rules which existed when they applied. [66004/26]

970. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration in the context of the recent Irish Nationality Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026, whether the Bill will include transitional provisions for people already lawfully resident; the number of people currently working towards naturalisation would be affected by the change; the consultation with employers, the IDA and the Department of Enterprise Tourism and Employment before creating an eight year pathway; the rationale for the extension of the residency provision from the current five to eight years; and the way in which this will give certainty to prospective Irish citizens. [66085/26]

971. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the impact of changes to citizenship requirements on spouses and parents unable to demonstrate financial independence due to caring responsibilities or lack of affordable childcare; if the impact on migrant women who interrupted their careers to raise children has been assessed; if transitional arrangements will be provided for families established in Ireland; and if the position of children growing up and integrating here, whose immigration status may restrict access to opportunities available to Irish and EU children, will be considered. [66088/26]

972. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the metrics, benchmarks and outcome indicators by which he intends to assess the success or failure of the proposed Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026, given that no anticipated reduction in demand for housing, education, healthcare or other public services has been identified by him; whether such reductions form part of the policy objectives underpinning the reforms and number of persons who currently possess between one and five years' reckonable residence in the State for naturalisation purposes, by year, in tabular form. [66114/26]

973. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration given the proposed Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026 relates only to citizenship acquired through naturalisation and not to citizenship acquired through descent, if there are plans to amend the rules, eligibility criteria, or administrative processing of applications for registration in the Foreign Births Register. [66113/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 889, 894, 895, 897, 899, 905, 906, 912, 913, 914, 916, 920, 922, 924, 927, 938, 939, 941, 942, 943, 944, 948, 958, 961, 968, 969, 970, 971, 972 and 973 together.

The 2025 Programme for Government contains a commitment to continue to implement a firmer migration system that, amongst other things, protects the integrity of our immigration framework.

As Deputies may recall, last November, the Government approved a package of policy and legislative reforms to Ireland’s migration, citizenship, and naturalisation system, ensuring it is rules-based, efficient and more closely aligned with those of other EU Member States.

Government recently approved the priority drafting of legislation to amend aspects of the Irish Naturalisation and Citizenship Act 1956.

The General Scheme of the Bill, which will be published shortly, includes proposals to: increase the qualifying periods of reckonable residence from 5 to 8 years for applicants for naturalisation; create a power to introduce language tests in either English, Irish or Irish Sign Language, and an Irish civics, society and politics test; and ensure applicants for citizenship by naturalisation are self-sufficient.

These measures are intended to support integration and strengthen public confidence in the citizenship system.

The General Scheme provides for the introduction of language proficiency requirements but does not specify the standard to be attained. The Scheme proposes that the Minister may prescribe the required standard and verification process by regulation following enactment of the legislation. My Department will develop these regulations in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General and relevant stakeholders. The Scheme also expressly provides for the possibility of waivers of the language requirement in prescribed circumstances, recognising the need to accommodate vulnerable applicants and ensure that the process does not operate unfairly or disproportionately for persons with disabilities or other specific needs. No final decisions have yet been made regarding the precise standard, testing methodology or exemptions.

The Scheme proposes that applicants demonstrate knowledge and understanding of Irish civics and authorises the Minister to prescribe the applicable standard by regulation. The detailed content of any civics assessment, including the areas to be covered and any pass standard, has not yet been determined.

The Scheme provides a framework under which the Minister may prescribe, by regulation, income thresholds, relevant social welfare payments and relevant housing supports that may be considered as part of an assessment of self-sufficiency. The legislation deliberately leaves these details to secondary regulations so that the approach can be carefully developed following consultation with relevant Departments.

The Scheme proposes changes to the qualifying periods of reckonable residence by increasing the qualifying residence period for standard naturalisation applicants to two years' continuous residence immediately before application and six years' residence in the preceding ten years (cumulatively 8 years). An amendment to Section 15A of the Act is also proposed to increase the period of time a non-national spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen should be residing in the state to a cumulative 5 years before being eligible to apply for naturalisation and to insert a number of new criteria to reflect additions being made in section 15 of the Act of 1956, to ensure consistency between these cohorts of applicants.

The Scheme also proposes an amendment of Section 16A of the Act to clarify that time spent residing in Ireland on temporary permissions and other ad-hoc schemes, including time spent in the State on the basis of temporary protection under the Temporary Protection Directive 2001/55/EC (which has been activated in respect of the invasion of Ukraine) is not reckonable for naturalisation purposes. It also contains an amendment of Section 6B to ensure consistency remains between Section 6(B)(4) and Section 16A (1). Section 6B (4) concerns the categories of residence by the parent of a child born in Ireland that entitle the child (if not otherwise an Irish citizen) to citizenship at birth.

Finally, the Scheme proposes amendments to the revocation provisions in section 19 of the 1956 Act to provide an explicit power to revoke naturalised citizenship where this is considered necessary in the interests of public policy, public order or national security, and to streamline certain procedural aspects of the revocation process.

The proposed amendments to reckonable residence periods for future naturalisation applications are intended to apply from enactment of the new Bill. Those seeking to apply under the current provisions will only be able to do so until the new Bill is enacted.

The Scheme is focused primarily on citizenship acquired through naturalisation and associated provisions relating to naturalisation, reckonable residence and revocation of certificates of naturalisation. It does not contain proposals to amend the existing statutory provisions governing citizenship by descent or entry onto the Foreign Births Register.

The General Scheme does not include specific provisions relating to members of the Defence Forces or propose special provisions in respect of residence accrued by persons who reside in the State solely for higher education purposes and matters relating to immigration registration fees fall outside of its scope.

The policy objective underpinning the reforms is to strengthen the integrity, durability and public confidence in the naturalisation system by ensuring that applicants have demonstrated a sustained connection to Ireland before citizenship is granted. The Government remains fully committed to ensuring that Ireland remains an attractive destination for international talent and investment. The amendments affect the acquisition of citizenship and do not directly affect, nor are they intended to discourage, legal migration of those who move to Ireland to contribute through work, study or to join family members.