Ireland plans stricter residency rules for citizenship

Ireland plans to increase the period of residence required to obtain citizenship from five to eight years, Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said in a statement, Report informs via The Irish Times.

"The citizenship proposals will allow us to bring our rules more closely in line with those in other European Union member states," he said.

According to Martin, anyone seeking Irish citizenship will have to reside in the country for eight years, be economically self-sufficient and pass a test demonstrating knowledge of English and basic Irish.

A year earlier, the Irish authorities had already increased the required period of residence for obtaining citizenship from three to five years.