Ireland gives thousands of undocumented migrants pathway to citizenship
January 31, 2022, 4:43 pm

Ireland gives thousands of undocumented migrants pathway to citizenship

Dublin in Ireland/Pixabay

The BBC reported, thousands of undocumented migrants and their families will have a pathway to Irish citizenship under a government scheme which opened on Monday.

Broadcaster RTÉ reports that the justice department estimates there could be 17,000 undocumented people - including 3,000 children - living in Ireland.

The BBC said that those who have lived in Ireland for the past four years can apply for official permission to live there.

The Irish justice minister said it was a "once-in-a-generation" scheme.

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Helen McEntee said the plan would improve the lives of thousands who were contributing to society but had to live in the legal shadows.

Minor offences

Undocumented people with children under the age of 18 will only need to have lived in Ireland for three years.

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Those who have children older than 18 can include their spouse and children, aged up to 23, in their application.

Successful applicants will be able to work in Ireland and can begin a path to Irish citizenship.

Those with an existing deportation order or former student visa holders can also apply.

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Applicants must be considered to have good character and not pose a threat, but applications are "unlikely to be refused" for minor offences, according to the department.

The scheme will run for six months, closing on 31 July.

Source: BBC

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.