‘Returning Irish emigrants refused social welfare payments’

RETURNING Irish emigrants are being refused vital social welfare payments because of an "increasingly strict interpretation" of the residency requirements, FG social protection spokesman Michael Ring claimed.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/returning-irish-emigrants-refused-social-welfare-payments-126074.html#ixzz0ucvE8Mhr

Migrants shunned for points on licence

Immigrants convicted of minor road offences are being barred from becoming citizens, it was claimed today.

Social justice campaigners said the citizenship process appeared designed to turn away migrants rather than welcome them.

The Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI), which will hold a think-in tomorrow on migration and identity at University College Dublin, called for an overhaul of the system to make it fairer and more efficient.

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/migrants-shunned-for-points-on-licence-2075379.html

Immigrants being refused visas after losing their jobs

The Department of Justice has confirmed that all those seeking naturalisation in Ireland must be in a position to support themselves – and their families – without recourse to social welfare.

Record numbers of people have been applying for naturalisation in Ireland, with a total of 10,885 people seeking residency here last year.

During 2008, a total of 3,117 new Irish were granted citizenship but another 2,795 applications were declined, frequently on the basis that the person was not employed or amidst suspicions of fraud.

The sheer volume of claims – which includes close to 1,000 per month this year – has led to a massive backlog and a 23-month waiting period for decisions.

Around 4,500 Nigerians and 2,200 Filipinos have sought Irish citizenship in the past five years.

http://www.tribune.ie/news/home-news/article/2009/jul/05/immigrants-being-refused-visas-after-losing-their-/

72,000 Irish passports issued around the world

Of the 4,041 passports issued to South Africans last year, many did not involve the descendants of Irish emigrants. One senior garda said: "These would be people who might have applied for asylum, had married an Irish citizen or otherwise sought naturalisation at some point."

Asylum seekers from a number of other African countries also successfully applied for Irish passports, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. A total of 271 people born in Nigeria qualified for citizenship last year in spite of the low rate of success in applying for refugee status by individuals from that country. Around 700 people from India and Pakistan were also granted Irish passports along with 72 from the DR Congo, 130 from Egypt, 171 from Kenya and 189 from Israel.

http://www.tribune.ie/news/home-news/article/2008/dec/07/72000-irish-passports-issued-around-the-world/