Migration and Citizenship: Statements
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-30
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Seamus Healy (IND), Tipperary South

The proposals to impose more severe regulations governing Irish citizenship are pandering to a tiny minority of far-right, anti-immigrant voices. It is shameful. As the Irish Council for Civil Liberties has said, no rationale, research or evidence has been presented by the Department for these proposed changes and no issues have been identified in the current system.
Claims that changes bring us into line with Europe do not ring true as several European countries retain the five-year rule, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and many others. At a minimum, any new rules must not apply to those who are already in this country. These workers were actively recruited by State agencies to address critical staff shortages. The HSE, for example, targeted recruitment across the globe to fill medical, nursing, paramedical and healthcare assistant posts. Many were specifically recruited for IT and engineering sectors under Ireland's critical skills programme. These workers keep our hospitals, nursing homes, hospitality and agricultural sectors afloat. These workers are here legally on work visas and employment permits and under Ireland's critical skills programme. They work and pay their taxes, they are law-abiding and they have brought their families here with them. They are embedded in local communities, on parents' councils in the schools their children attend, and they are members of our sports clubs, with many playing our national games. These families have made a permanent commitment to this country and it would be deeply unfair to move the goalposts for these individuals now. It must not happen. The five-year rule must stay for anyone who is currently in this country.
I commend Clonmel Together, an organisation that does tremendous work in the area of welcoming and integrating new communities.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-30/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-30