Madam, – We strongly agree with Sr Stanislaus Kennedy of the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI), that the State’s policy on citizenship “badly needs a rethink” (Home News, November 4th).
The ICI pointed to an example of someone who was denied naturalisation due to having penalty points on his licence. This is by no means an isolated incident; we have come across many such examples in our legal clinic.
We recently met a woman whose application for naturalisation was refused because she is in receipt of single parent family supplement. She came here 10 years ago to do a dirty, physically demanding job that no Irish person would do, and which she is still doing. Her income is so meagre that, while she pays tax, she also gets a small supplement from the State. She couldn’t have known that this would prevent her from becoming a citizen of her family’s adopted home, as there is no written policy to indicate that it would. We agree with her that the decision constitutes discrimination on the grounds of her family status. Unfortunately, there is very little she can do about it, as there is no way to appeal the decision.
Instead of a proud new citizen, we now have a hurt, excluded, long-term resident in our midst. The Minister’s approach to citizenship is a litany of lost opportunities for Irish society. – Yours, etc,