"Let's hear it for Irish grannies!" EU passports and that

[buttgammon]

Eh?! Why would you need a British passport in order to apply for an Irish one? Or did you just need a valid passport and knew that the Irish one would take ages?

Yeah - mine expires in March and there's no way I'd be able to get an Irish one by then.

[mippy]

Would you say so? The list was OK for me, tho I've a good pal who's a solicitor so that made things simple. I don't think it's much more than writing down their name and place of work on the photocopies and applications.

A teacher pal would be able to sort you out. It might work if you walk into your local chemists or bank with the documents and ask really nicely.

I don't have any friends who are teachers, there isn't a bank within miles of us (our banks are online only - do they have to be one you have an account with?) and our local GP absolutely will not countersign anything, even for a fee.

The issue is that it says it has to be someone who has known you for ten years, or knows someone who has known you for ten years. I know a civil servant and a magistrate who fall into this category - neither are listed as appropriate to endorse the documents.

[Noodle Lizard]

I've been looking into this a bit as well. For me, EU and US citizenship would've been something of a golden combination, and I was halfway there before Brexit fucked all that up, and the way both the UK and US are looking I may want to keep my options open for the future.

But apparently despite my name and having something like 97% Irish DNA (according to my mum's 23andMe results), all my recent relatives decided to bugger off to Wales or England to have their children. I think the most recent Irish-born relative was my mum's great granddad. So that's my chances fucked, from what I can gather.

[touchingcloth]

But apparently despite my name and having something like 97% Irish DNA (according to my mum's 23andMe results), all my recent relatives decided to bugger off to Wales or England to have their children. I think the most recent Irish-born relative was my mum's great granddad. So that's my chances fucked, from what I can gather.

I'm in a similar situation - Irish surname, and a grandmother with an appropriately Irish-sounding first name, but somehow no actual Irish blood in recent memory.

A friend of mine had an Irish grandmother who moved to England before the Second World War, and to get his Irish passport he had to find his mum's (English) birth certificate which listed her parents' names, find his grandparents' wedding certificate which listed the married name from the birth certificate as well as the maiden name of his grandmother, then go to Ireland and travel to an island of Galway, and trawl through the birth records of the local churches to find the evidence that she had been born in Ireland.

I reckoned that the very Irish name of my grandmother might have given me a chance to follow the same process albeit fraudulently, but alas a scouring of ancestry.com and similar didn't turn up any actual Irish women with the same name as my grandmother. You might get luckier, however...

[Blinder Data]

Following my successful Irish citizenship application, I felt bad that my wife would be stuck in the slow lane at airports with her blue passport. Her great-grandparents were Italian so I thought I'd look into eligibility. Apparently, that could be enough for her to claim citizenship!

Therefore I've emailed the consulate. Who knows how long it will take to gather the documents and get it confirmed, but I've got the bug for citizenship-collecting now. What's more, if I can get a certificate that proves I speak the language to a decent standard, I could be eligible Italian citizenship too! How ridiculous.

If you have Polish or Italian ancestors, it's definitely worth looking to. Some more info here (though it's from a US perspective, as are most helpful websites).

[buttgammon]

Not sure how this will affect any of you hoping to get an Irish passport but I got in touch with the authorities here about my naturalisation application and they said they're unable to process the physical documents at the moment, so there is no point in applying right now.

[TrenterPercenter]

I am now a dual citizen of Ireland and the United Kingdom, and once again a citizen of Europe.  Just got my congratulations email and approval.  For anybody with skin in the game it's taken 29 months.

I applied and had my documents received on Feb 17th 2020 about 3 weeks before covid truly kicked off, I've heard nothing since then until today 15th July 2022.  Just need to apply for my passport now.

[Buelligan]

The complete bummer being, if you have a right to apply for citizenship of another country, not the UK, the Home office can legally decide to strip you for your British Citizenship.  Which is nice.

[MojoJojo]

The complete bummer being, if you have a right to apply for citizenship of another country, not the UK, the Home office can legally decide to strip you for your British Citizenship.  Which is nice.

I've not heard of this, and it would apply to me, and a large percentage of the UK population. Citation please?

[Buelligan]

This? 

In recent years, the UK has stripped more people of their citizenship than any other country apart from Bahrain, according to a report released by the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion.

https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-53428191

[Ferris]

I've not heard of this, and it would apply to me, and a large percentage of the UK population. Citation please?

Depends on your ethnicity, largely. A significant percentage of people stripped of citizenship are cunts who are cheating through the good faith aspects of the system, which is fine.

A very small number are stripped for terrorism or other anti-state crimes.

The problem is the precedent - what if extinction rebellion is deemed a terrorist organization? Or protesting outside Parliament becomes a political act of terror? Etc. It's very unlikely because of the outcry at the obvious fascism, but at the same time... some very unlikely fascist things have happened in the last few years with intrinsic popular support so who knows.

If they came for my British citizenship I'd give it up gladly. Only reason I'm hanging on is visiting family and passing it on to the sprogs. I certainly won't live there again, I don't think. Whole place has gone mad. And if I do; I have an Irish granny and half my family is Scots so I'm passports out the wazoo.

[Ferris]

For the record, that type of citizenship stripping is deemed unconstitutional in Canada (technically, it's a bit more complicated than that but Canadian legal federalism is not very simple. You can't do it, is the point).

The principle being - you shouldn't be able to punish me, a dual-citizen more then you can punish a single-citizen for the same crime. That ain't fair.

[Sebastian Cobb]

TBH I assumed a lot of citizen stripping happened moments before the rocket hits so britain can claim it doesn't technically kill its own citizens.

[TrenterPercenter]

The citizen stripping thing is only for people not originally born in the UK.  It another dog whistle racist policy from the government.

[TrenterPercenter]

If they came for my British citizenship I'd give it up gladly. Only reason I'm hanging on is visiting family and passing it on to the sprogs. I certainly won't live there again, I don't think. Whole place has gone mad. And if I do; I have an Irish granny and half my family is Scots so I'm passports out the wazoo.

Would you say the quality of life is much better in Canada then Ferris?

[Ferris]

Would you say the quality of life is much better in Canada then Ferris?

I don't think it's much of a secret that I think it is. It's not perfect (where is?) but I prefer it for all sorts of reasons.

Obviously just my opinion, people will be along shortly to say that Winnipeg is boring and winters are tough (both true, but immaterial to me because I live by the coast).

[TrenterPercenter]

What are your top 3 reasons if you don't mind sharing?

[Blinder Data]

I am now a dual citizen of Ireland and the United Kingdom, and once again a citizen of Europe.  Just got my congratulations email and approval.  For anybody with skin in the game it's taken 29 months.

I applied and had my documents received on Feb 17th 2020 about 3 weeks before covid truly kicked off, I've heard nothing since then until today 15th July 2022.  Just need to apply for my passport now.

Crikey!

For anyone who wants to apply but doesn't want to wait 2+ years, try to get yourself or your partner pregnant after you've submitted your application. Once you've told the processing team, you'll be Irish in two shakes of a lamb's tail!

[bgmnts]

Would be nice if they just allowed nice people to be Irish citizens. Not fortunate enough to have Irish grandparents or whatever. Boooo

[robhug]

Would be nice if they just allowed nice people to be Irish citizens. Not fortunate enough to have Irish grandparents or whatever. Boooo

selfless, giving up your chances like that

[TrenterPercenter]

Would be nice if they just allowed nice people to be Irish citizens. Not fortunate enough to have Irish grandparents or whatever. Boooo

I think having a family history of discrimination, starvation and diaspora also has some negatives tbf.

[Blinder Data]

I think having a family history of discrimination, starvation and diaspora also has some negatives tbf.

My grandmother did quite the number on my dad and his siblings; she provided her progeny with a life-damaging soup of bullying, neglect and endless criticism, with a smattering of Catholic guilt sprinkled on top. I imagine that that's not so unique. Freedom of movement is the least we deserve for living with the consequences of mad Irish grannies.

[TrenterPercenter]

My grandmother did quite the number on my dad and his siblings; she provided her progeny with a life-damaging soup of bullying, neglect and endless criticism, with a smattering of Catholic guilt sprinkled on top. I imagine that that's not so unique.

Sounds depressingly similar, though I'd throw in there pawning your own children's toys to feed your gambling addictions.  The old man always tells me the story of how he came home from school age 13 to the family being evicted due to his mum's inability to be honest with money so he was in the housing office aged 13 begging for them to find them somewhere else to live.

[Uncle TechTip]

Would be nice if they just allowed nice people to be Irish citizens. Not fortunate enough to have Irish grandparents or whatever. Boooo

Being from Wales, is there not a small chance that you have that ancestry without knowing it? If anyone is unclear on family history it might be worth taking a free trial on findmypast etc and finding out for sure. I would do it but you know, admin.

[Ferris]

What are your top 3 reasons if you don't mind sharing?

I'll PM because I've gone on about it before and I can hear people (virtually) rolling their eyes.

[TrenterPercenter]

I'll PM because I've gone on about it before and I can hear people (virtually) rolling their eyes.

Nice one :) - seems a bit ridiculous that people would be upset about Canada being good.

[bgmnts]

Being from Wales, is there not a small chance that you have that ancestry without knowing it? If anyone is unclear on family history it might be worth taking a free trial on findmypast etc and finding out for sure. I would do it but you know, admin.

Furthest I can go back is great grandfather and he wasn't Irish.

[buttgammon]

I'm handing in all the paperwork to do with naturalisation soon (I've been putting it off because I've had to travel and don't know how long they need your passport for) and have been advised it will 'only' take about 23 months, so they're getting quicker!

[TrenterPercenter]

I'm handing in all the paperwork to do with naturalisation soon (I've been putting it off because I've had to travel and don't know how long they need your passport for) and have been advised it will 'only' take about 23 months, so they're getting quicker!

Yeah add a few months they have been saying this and things have been taking considerably longer - this probably gets better though as they move through the backlog and further away from Covid.

[Ted_Dibiase]

Crikey!

For anyone who wants to apply but doesn't want to wait 2+ years, try to get yourself or your partner pregnant after you've submitted your application. Once you've told the processing team, you'll be Irish in two shakes of a lamb's tail!

Good advice this, or let your sibling and their partner pop out the sprog and apply at the same time also works. The passport application was a lot quicker, took about 3 months