‘Put non-Irish healthcare workers on citizenship fast track’ – Bacik

Non-Irish nationals working on the Covid-19 frontline and who want to become Irish citizens should have any applications for citizenship fast tracked, the Labour Party has said.

“Many workers who are not Irish citizens have formed the backbone of our health system throughout this pandemic, doing amazing work to serve so many persons affected by the virus,” the party’s spokesperson on Children, Disability, Equality and Integration, Senator Ivana Bacik, added.

“The Minister for Justice must look to expedite the process of obtaining citizenship for these healthcare workers. The applications of frontline workers should be processed and granted as soon as possible.”

Senator Bacik has also repeated her support of the #FastTrackCitizenship campaign led by Dr Mohsin Kamal, to speed up the naturalisation process for healthcare workers, and has encouraged more people to sign the online petition which currently has more than 2,750 signatures.

Campaigners want the Irish government to follow the example of other countries such as France, Portugal, and Canada, where immigrant healthcare workers have had citizenship applications speeded up applications during the pandemic.

In comparison, applicants in Ireland who meet the criteria for naturalisation were waiting up to four years to have their application approved.

“There are currently 20,000 people waiting for their applications for citizenship to be processed, many of whom are healthcare and frontline workers,” Senator Bacik added

“The introduction of a fast-track citizenship system for frontline workers has already been introduced in other countries, including France and Canada, in recognition of the immense personal sacrifices made by so many who have put themselves at risk every day to provide vital health and social care services throughout this pandemic.”

“These workers have gone above and beyond the call of duty for Ireland over the past year, and speeding up their applications for citizenship is one tangible way that the State can thank these people for their sacrifices,” Senator Bacik continued.

“We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the individuals and families in our own communities who have worked under enormous pressure to keep everyone safe.

“The Labour Party is calling on the Government to back up our appreciation with action. Let’s fast track citizenship applications now.”