Sinnott Solicitors Dublin and Cork have received a large amount of queries recently as to whether a Stamp 1G or a Stamp 0 permission to remain are considered to be reckonable  residency for the purpose of applying for Irish Citizenship by Naturalisation.

What is a Stamp 1G?

A Stamp 1G permission to remain is granted to the following groups of non-EEA nationals;

  1. Non EEA-national students who have completed a level 8 or level 9 degree in Ireland are granted Stamp 1G permission to remain following graduation for 12 months (may be extended up to 24 months) to enable them to secure employment in Ireland in order to apply for an Employment Permit.
  2. Spouses and De Facto Partners of Critical Skills Employment Permit holders (including Stamp 4 holders who previously held a Critical Skills Employment Permit).
  3. Spouses and De Facto Partners of researchers residing in the State On Hosting Agreements.

A Stamp 1G allows the non EEA-national to enter into employment without the requirement to obtain an Employment Permit. 

There has been a lot of confusion in recent times as to whether a Stamp 1G permission to remain is reckonable residence for the purpose of applying for Irish  Citizenship by Naturalisation.

The Department of Justice have recently confirmed that a Stamp 1G is reckonable residence when applying for Irish Citizenship and it does not matter on what basis the person was granted the Stamp 1G permission to remain.

Non-EEA-nationals who are applying for Irish Citizenship by Naturalisation are required to complete and submit an online residency calculator in support of their application. At present the Stamp 1G does not appear on the list of immigration stamps listed on the online residency calculator and under these circumstances the Department of Justice have confirmed that Applicants should chose the Stamp 1 dropdown box when completing the residency calculator.

The Department of Justice have yet to update their official policy confirming that a Stamp 1G is reckonable for the purpose of applying for Irish Citizenship however they have confirmed to this office that the Stamp 1G is reckonable.

What is a Stamp 0?

Stamp 0 is a low-level temporary immigration permission which is granted to the following category of non- EEA nationals;

  1. Persons of independence means who have access to/an income of €50,000 per annum per person, in addition to a lump sum of money which is equivalent to the purchase price of a property in the State.
  2. Visiting academics at an Irish University or college.
  3. Elderly dependant relatives of Irish, non-EU/EEA or Swiss nationals.

The official Department of Justice policy is that Stamp 0 permission to remain is not reckonable for the purposes of applying for Irish Citizenship. This office has successfully submitted a number of applications for Irish Citizenship on behalf of persons who have resided in the State on Stamp 0 conditions.

There is no option for a Stamp 0 permission to remain on the dropdown menu of the residency calculator and under these circumstances appropriate submissions should be made to the Minister for Justice when submitting an application in this regard.  

When applying for Irish Citizenship as the holder of a Stamp 0 permission to remain, Sinnott Solicitors Dublin and Cork submit it that it is appropriate for a potential Applicant to seek legal advices from a solicitor practising in the area of Immigration Law to ensure that the proper application is submitted.

Sinnott Solicitors Dublin and Cork have a specialist team of Immigration Solicitors and Immigration Consultants in our Dublin and Cork offices who are experts on all Irish immigration matters. Should you have any queries with respect to any of the information contained in this article or any other immigration matters, do not hesitate to contact our immigration department in Cork or Dublin today on 014062862 or info@sinnott.ie.