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Immigrant Advice Bureau

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Immigrant Advice Bureau

Working with immigrants to make Ireland their home. Our service is strictly confidential.For appointment, please, contact our office.

We provide direct information and advocacy services for immigrants and asylum seekers in Ireland in such areas as:* social welfare rights,* citizenship,* housing, *immigration & family reunification,*regularisation of undocumented migrants,*retention of EU Treaty Rights*work permit *employment rights, *personal injury claims, *sex and race discrimination.Immigrant Advice Bureau brings together information on the law and personal rights from a wide range of advice and information services.

08/09/2026

🚩Further update on the proposed changes to Irish citizenship 🇮🇪

The Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026 is expected to be discussed by the Government later this month.

In addition to the changes outlined in our previous post, it is proposed that time spent in Ireland under the Temporary Protection Directive would not count as reckonable residence for Irish citizenship.

The Bill also proposes longer residence requirements, language and civics tests, financial self-sufficiency conditions, and changes affecting spouses of Irish citizens.

➡️These proposals are not yet law. The final provisions and transitional arrangements may change during the legislative process.

We will provide further updates once official details become available.

Anyone who is already eligible for Irish citizenship should consider preparing and submitting their application without unnecessary delay.

☎️ For professional assistance, please contact us.

01/09/2026

🏗️ Skilled construction workers continue to play an essential role in Ireland’s growing construction sector.

✅We are pleased that our client has been granted a three-year Employment Permit for the position of Plasterer.

Every Employment Permit application requires careful preparation and attention to detail. Our experienced team approaches each case individually, thoroughly assessing the proposed role, eligibility requirements and supporting documentation to ensure the application is prepared to the highest professional standard.

If you are an employer seeking to recruit a skilled worker, or an employee requiring assistance with an Employment Permit application, please contact our office.

📧 [email protected]

31/08/2026

🇮🇪 POSSIBLE CHANGES TO IRISH CITIZENSHIP RULES

The Government is considering significant changes to the conditions for obtaining Irish citizenship by naturalisation.

The proposals reportedly include:

⏳ increasing the standard residence requirement from five years, potentially to eight years;

🗣️ introducing an English-language proficiency requirement;

💶 requiring applicants to demonstrate financial self-sufficiency, with certain long-term social welfare payments potentially taken into account;

🔍 strengthening good-character and background assessments; and

🤝 placing greater emphasis on applicants’ integration and commitment to Ireland.

⚠️ These proposals have NOT become law. No final rules or commencement date have been announced, and the existing naturalisation requirements continue to apply.

Under the current rules, most adult applicants may apply after completing five years of reckonable residence, including one continuous year immediately before the application.

Anyone, who is already eligible to apply should ensure that their reckonable residence and supporting documents are reviewed carefully and that the application is prepared correctly.

📩 If you are approaching eligibility or require assistance with your Irish citizenship application, contact us to arrange a consultation.

We will continue monitoring official developments and provide further information once confirmed details or legislation are published.

25/08/2026

📢 The €300 Irish Residence Permit fee is excessive — and the service provided does not justify it.

The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) has called on the Government, as part of Budget 2027, to:

🔹 cap the IRP fee at €75 for first-time registrations and €55 for renewals;
🔹 increase staffing within Immigration Service Delivery’s Registration Division by 30%; and
🔹 introduce a legally guaranteed grace period protecting the right to work where a renewal application was submitted before the existing permission expired.

We fully support this call.

Many non-EU workers must pay €300 each year for an IRP card that reportedly costs the State only €20.44 to produce and deliver. At the same time, applicants are waiting up to 16 weeks to receive their cards. These delays can prevent people from starting or continuing employment, accepting new opportunities, travelling in urgent family circumstances, or proving their lawful immigration status.

However, the problem extends beyond IRP registration.

Since local immigration registration services around the country were closed and the system became centralised, applicants have experienced serious difficulties obtaining timely assistance. Queries submitted through the Customer Service Portal can remain unanswered for weeks, while other immigration systems and application processes are also failing to operate effectively.

EU Treaty Rights applicants are particularly affected. We are seeing:

🔹 delays in issuing temporary Stamp 4 permissions;
🔹 decisions taking longer than the prescribed six-month period;
🔹 applicants being unable to register while awaiting the necessary approval letter;
🔹 people losing employment or being placed on unpaid leave because they cannot produce current evidence of permission;
🔹 applicants being directed through an incorrect online renewal process, only to be told 12–17 weeks later that a separate EUTR application was required; and
🔹 apparent gaps arising in applicants’ immigration records, which may delay or complicate future Irish citizenship applications—particularly where the gap falls within the year immediately before the application.

A service that charges one of the highest residence-permit fees in Europe must be accessible, adequately staffed and capable of issuing documents and responding to queries within reasonable timeframes.

Reducing the IRP fee is necessary, but it must form part of a wider reform of the immigration registration and customer-service system. Migrants should not lose employment, income, the ability to travel or face difficulties with a future citizenship application because of administrative delays entirely outside their control.

We join MRCI in calling on the Government to address these failures in Budget 2027.

18/08/2026

🇮🇪 Upcoming Irish Citizenship Ceremonies – September 2026

The next Irish citizenship ceremonies will take place on:

📅 Thursday, 17th & Friday, 18th September 2026
📍 The Convention Centre, Dublin

📩 Invitations will issue in due course. Please note that the Department has stated that they are not in a position to confirm invitations at this stage.

💳 Candidates will be required to bring identity documents for verification purposes (for example, a valid passport or alternative identification).

At the ceremony, candidates will take an oath of fidelity to the nation. Certificates of naturalisation will issue by post at a later date.

📌 We would also remind applicants to ensure that their immigration permission and IRP card remain valid while awaiting their citizenship ceremony and Certificate of Naturalisation.

☘️ Congratulations in advance to everyone who will be invited to attend in September. Becoming an Irish citizen is a significant milestone after what, for many applicants, has been a long journey of building their life in Ireland.

The image was generated using artificial intelligence (AI) for illustrative purposes.

12/08/2026

🎉 General Employment Permit granted for our client!

A great result to share — our client has received a General Employment Permit to work as a Plasterer.

The construction sector continues to offer employment opportunities in Ireland, but a successful Employment Permit application requires careful preparation, correct recruitment procedures and compliance with the applicable requirements.

Congratulations to our client and employer, and we wish them every success! 👏

📌 Immigrant Advice Bureau
Employment Permit applications and professional immigration assistance.

05/08/2026

⚖️ An unfair refusal does not always mean the end of the road.

Following an unfair refusal of an Invalidity Pension, we carefully reviewed the decision and submitted both a Request for Review and an Appeal to ensure that our client’s case received the fair consideration it deserved.

✅Our hard work paid off. The original decision was overturned at review stage, meaning the appeal no longer needed to proceed.

There is nothing more rewarding than seeing justice done and knowing that our persistence has made a real difference to someone’s life.

If you have received a refusal in relation to Invalidity Pension or any other social welfare matter, do not assume the initial decision is the final one. We are here to assess your case and help you pursue the outcome you are entitled to.

📞 Contact us today for professional assistance with social welfare matters.

24/07/2026

Thank you all so much for your wonderful birthday wishes, kind words, and thoughtful messages. ❤️

I am truly touched by the love and kindness I received from my amazing team💗, our wonderful clients, dear friends, and everyone who took the time to leave a comment or send a message. Reading every single one of your wishes made my day even more special.

I feel incredibly grateful to have such caring and supportive people around me. Your encouragement, friendship, and trust mean so much to me, and I never take them for granted.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making my birthday so memorable. I wish each and every one of you good health, happiness, love, peace, and success in everything you do. May life bring you many reasons to smile, and may all the kindness you share with others come back to you many times over. ❤️
With love,
Olga

23/07/2026

🎉Happy Birthday to our wonderful leader, the founder of Immigrant Advice Bureau, Olga!🎉

Today we are celebrating someone who is truly one of a kind.🎂

Olga successfully balances her growing business, her legal education, and her role as a devoted wife and mother. She shows us every day that with determination, kindness, and hard work, anything is possible.

She is not only an exceptional professional but also the best mentor and motivator we could ever ask for. No challenge is ever too difficult for her, and she is always ready to offer support, guidance, and encouragement whenever it is needed. Every day, she helps people through some of the most important moments of their lives, always with compassion, patience, and genuine care.

Working alongside Olga means learning something new every single day. She inspires us to grow, believe in ourselves, and always strive to do better—for our clients and for one another.

Dear Olga, thank you for your leadership, your trust, and your endless dedication. We wish you good health, happiness, countless reasons to smile, continued success, and many unforgettable moments with your family and loved ones. May every new year bring you as much joy as you bring to so many others.🎁

Have the most wonderful birthday! 🌸

With love and appreciation,
Your Immigrant Advice Bureau Team 💙

21/07/2026

Today we had a very pleasant and unexpected surprise. 💐

One of our long-standing clients stopped by our office with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

Dear Zbigniew, thank you so much for this thoughtful gesture. You truly brightened our day and made it extra special! ❤️

Address

Courthouse Chambers, 27-29 Washington Street
Cork
T12V2YY

Opening Hours

Monday	9:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	9:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9:30am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+353214802006

Website

http://www.immigrant.ie/

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