Private immigration firms report a 42 percent month-on-month jump in enquiries from high-net-worth U.S. citizens hoping to secure Irish residency or citizenship following Donald Trump’s return to the White House. According to figures cited by the Irish Independent on 25 January, applications for foreign-birth registration and naturalisation interviews have spiked, while demand for the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) remains brisk despite the scheme’s formal closure to new applicants in 2023; hundreds of pipeline cases are still being processed.
Law firms say so-called ‘Plan B’ strategies revolve around four pathways: proving Irish ancestry, marrying an EU national resident in Ireland, establishing an EU headquarters that qualifies for intra-company transfer permits, and investing in social-housing or nursing-home projects under grandfathered IIP rules. The uptick mirrors the 2017 and 2021 cycles, but practitioners note a new urgency among clients worried about domestic political polarisation and proposed U.S. wealth taxes.
![‘Donald Dash’ Accelerates: Surge in Wealthy U.S. Nationals Seeking Irish Visas and Passports]()
Prospective applicants who want a clearer picture of the procedural maze may find VisaHQ a useful gateway. Through its dedicated Ireland page (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/), the platform aggregates the latest visa requirements, processing times and fee schedules and can connect users with immigration specialists for more complex filings, smoothing the path for anyone exploring Irish residency or citizenship options.
For Ireland the inflow means fresh capital for regional developments but also rekindles debates over housing pressure and whether golden-visa beneficiaries contribute proportionally to the economy. The Department of Justice said processing resources have been redeployed from low-volume nationality streams to handle the American surge and cautioned that eligibility checks “remain rigorous.”
Mobility advisers should brief U.S. executives that standard foreign-birth registrations are taking up to nine months, while naturalisation requires at least five years of reckonable residence. High-value applicants still in the IIP pipeline can expect adjudication by mid-2026 and should maintain investment and insurance thresholds until final approval.
Law firms say so-called ‘Plan B’ strategies revolve around four pathways: proving Irish ancestry, marrying an EU national resident in Ireland, establishing an EU headquarters that qualifies for intra-company transfer permits, and investing in social-housing or nursing-home projects under grandfathered IIP rules. The uptick mirrors the 2017 and 2021 cycles, but practitioners note a new urgency among clients worried about domestic political polarisation and proposed U.S. wealth taxes.
Prospective applicants who want a clearer picture of the procedural maze may find VisaHQ a useful gateway. Through its dedicated Ireland page (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/), the platform aggregates the latest visa requirements, processing times and fee schedules and can connect users with immigration specialists for more complex filings, smoothing the path for anyone exploring Irish residency or citizenship options.
For Ireland the inflow means fresh capital for regional developments but also rekindles debates over housing pressure and whether golden-visa beneficiaries contribute proportionally to the economy. The Department of Justice said processing resources have been redeployed from low-volume nationality streams to handle the American surge and cautioned that eligibility checks “remain rigorous.”
Mobility advisers should brief U.S. executives that standard foreign-birth registrations are taking up to nine months, while naturalisation requires at least five years of reckonable residence. High-value applicants still in the IIP pipeline can expect adjudication by mid-2026 and should maintain investment and insurance thresholds until final approval.
