The Irish Government is moving quickly to ensure the State does not become a softer alternative to the United Kingdom after London outlined its most restrictive asylum reforms in decades this week.
Senior officials confirmed to Anadolu Agency that Coalition leaders were briefed on Monday (18 November 2025) about a package of measures designed to deter so-called “asylum shopping” within the Common Travel Area. Key proposals include:
• extending the residency period refugees must complete before they can naturalise from three to five years;
• higher minimum-income thresholds and stricter self-sufficiency tests for family-reunification applications;
• an increase in naturalisation fees; and
• a review of short-stay visa-waiver arrangements for countries with rising over-stay or protection-claim numbers.
![Dublin drafts tougher citizenship and migration rules as UK clamps down on asylum]()
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan told reporters the review would be folded into the forthcoming International Protection Bill 2025, Ireland’s first major asylum overhaul in a decade, and that “any reforms needed to protect the integrity of our system will be tabled before Cabinet in the coming weeks.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Harris stressed that the Common Travel Area “was never designed as a back door to UK immigration controls,” signalling that Dublin could move in lock-step with London on certain refugee and border policies. Businesses that depend on international talent are watching the process closely; advisers say the final legislation is unlikely to touch work-permit streams, but companies should prepare for longer citizenship timelines for employees with refugee backgrounds and for stricter documentation when sponsoring family members.
For multinational employers the immediate action item is communication: explain to refugee or protection-holder staff that citizenship pathways may soon lengthen, and remind cross-border commuters that asylum rules differ on each side of the Irish Sea. Immigration lawyers also expect naturalisation-fee hikes to be introduced in the 2026 Budget, so eligible applicants may benefit from filing before year-end.
Senior officials confirmed to Anadolu Agency that Coalition leaders were briefed on Monday (18 November 2025) about a package of measures designed to deter so-called “asylum shopping” within the Common Travel Area. Key proposals include:
• extending the residency period refugees must complete before they can naturalise from three to five years;
• higher minimum-income thresholds and stricter self-sufficiency tests for family-reunification applications;
• an increase in naturalisation fees; and
• a review of short-stay visa-waiver arrangements for countries with rising over-stay or protection-claim numbers.
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan told reporters the review would be folded into the forthcoming International Protection Bill 2025, Ireland’s first major asylum overhaul in a decade, and that “any reforms needed to protect the integrity of our system will be tabled before Cabinet in the coming weeks.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Harris stressed that the Common Travel Area “was never designed as a back door to UK immigration controls,” signalling that Dublin could move in lock-step with London on certain refugee and border policies. Businesses that depend on international talent are watching the process closely; advisers say the final legislation is unlikely to touch work-permit streams, but companies should prepare for longer citizenship timelines for employees with refugee backgrounds and for stricter documentation when sponsoring family members.
For multinational employers the immediate action item is communication: explain to refugee or protection-holder staff that citizenship pathways may soon lengthen, and remind cross-border commuters that asylum rules differ on each side of the Irish Sea. Immigration lawyers also expect naturalisation-fee hikes to be introduced in the 2026 Budget, so eligible applicants may benefit from filing before year-end.
