My Citizenship Pathway – Irish Citizenship By Naturalization - A Guide By Kim Wong

As a lawyer who has advised private clients on both Canadian and Irish immigration and citizenship for more than 8 years, it felt particularly poignant to receive Irish citizenship by naturalization in December 2024. I joined a group of approximately 6,000 other applicants at the Gleneagle INEC Arena in Killarney, Kerry for the citizenship ceremony, marking the culmination of a long journey for myself and my fellow newly conferred Irish citizens.

In this article, I'll outline the process of applying for Irish citizenship by naturalization, to include recent improvements made by the Department of Justice (the "Department"), together with interesting statistics relating to Irish citizenship and passport applications. As a new Irish citizen, I'm happy to share my experience and offer my insights to help streamline your application to make Ireland your official new home.