A new Act of Parliament entitles Irish citizens to register for British citizenship.
One of the last actions of Parliament before Labour’s election victory was to pass the British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024.
Prior to the introduction of this Act, persons born in the Republic of Ireland after 31 December 1948 who wanted British citizenship had to apply for naturalisation.
To be eligible for naturalisation, they ordinarily needed to:
- have the requisite immigration status in the UK – either indefinite leave to remain or settled status;
- have lived in the UK for at least five years before the date of the application;
- have passed a Life in the UK test; and
- evidence their intention to continue living in the UK.
The usual naturalisation fee of £1,630 also applied, representing a significant cost barrier to many Irish citizens applying for British citizenship.
However, under the new route, Irish citizens who have been lawfully resident in the UK for at least five years can apply to be registered, rather than naturalised, as British.
Under the new route, an Irish citizen looking to apply for registration does not need to have indefinite leave to remain or settled status in the UK – they just need to have lived here for at least five years prior to the date of application. They also do not need to pass a Life in the UK test.
It has not yet been confirmed what the fee for such a registration application will be, though Gavin Robinson, MP for Belfast East and former Lord Mayor of Belfast, has proposed that there be no fee over and above the cost of applying for a British passport (£88.50 if applying online). Even if there is an additional registration fee on top of this, the overall cost is likely to be far lower than under the current naturalisation route, making this new route a far more palatable alternative.
Of course, Irish citizens already have the right to live and work in the UK under the Common Travel Area (CTA). It therefore remains to be seen whether many Irish citizens will make use of the new route to register for British citizenship or whether they will instead predominantly continue to exercise their existing rights under the CTA.
If you would like advice on making an application to naturalise or register as a British citizen, please get in touch at [email protected]
