Pathways to Irish Citizenship
Author
Enemark, Vibeke
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-05-29
Pages
69
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan den irske stat regulerer adgangen til irsk statsborgerskab, og hvilke konsekvenser det har for ikke-EØS-borgeres mobilitet samt deres adgang til rettigheder og sikkerhed. I specialet omtales denne gruppe som “stempelindehavere”. Analysen bygger på en casestudie-tilgang med flere datakilder: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Acts, retningslinjer fra Justitsministeriet og Ministeriet for Erhverv, Handel og Innovation, samt anonymiserede sagsforløb fra Crosscare Migrant Projects database. Med samtykke fra organisationens ledelse er cases brugt til forskningsformål, og alle personhenførbare oplysninger er fjernet. Forfatterens insider-erfaring fra rådgivningsarbejde indgår som analytisk perspektiv. To begreber rammesætter analysen: “regimes of mobility” (Glick Schiller og Salazar), forstået som de formelle og uformelle regler, der styrer bevægelse og adgang, og “liminal legality” (Cecilia Menjívar), en gråzone mellem lovligt og ulovligt ophold. Først tydeliggøres forskellen mellem statsborgerskab ved fødsel og naturalisation, hvor ansøgere skal opfylde betingelser og dermed bevise “værdighed” gennem kontinuerligt lovligt ophold, ikke at være en byrde for staten og at bidrage til samfundet. Dernæst viser specialet, at staten især bruger tre mekanismer til at styre adgangen til at blive berettiget til at ansøge om statsborgerskab: mere bureaukrati, et skønsmæssigt system og et hierarki af opholdstilladelser. Disse ordninger skal sikre “rigtige” veje til statsborgerskab og udelukke dem, der anses for “uværdige”. Konsekvenserne er, at nogle kan finde uforudsete veje gennem systemet, mens andre risikerer at blive unødigt udokumenterede og fanget i “liminal legalitet” med tab af arbejde og bolig, stress og risiko for udsendelse. Forestillinger om værdighed forplanter sig også til andre institutioner, fx sociale ydelser, og påvirker økonomiske rettigheder og social mobilitet. Overordnet argumenterer specialet for at se statsborgerskab som et spektrum af medlemskab og rettigheder snarere end et skarpt skel mellem borgere og ikke-borgere.
This thesis examines how the Irish state regulates access to Irish citizenship and what this means for the mobility, rights, and security of non-EEA nationals. In the thesis, this group is referred to as “stamp holders.” The study uses a case-based analysis drawing on multiple sources: the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Acts, policy guidance from the Department of Justice and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, and anonymized case examples from the Crosscare Migrant Project’s database. With the organization’s consent, cases were used for research, and all identifying details were removed. The author’s insider experience from frontline advice work informs the analysis. Two concepts frame the study: “regimes of mobility” (Glick Schiller and Salazar), meaning the formal and informal rules that shape movement and access, and “liminal legality” (Cecilia Menjívar), a grey zone between lawful and unlawful status. The thesis first distinguishes birthright citizenship from naturalisation, where applicants must meet conditions and demonstrate “deservingness” through continuous legal residence, not being a burden on the state, and contributing to society. It then shows that the state mainly relies on three mechanisms to regulate eligibility to apply for citizenship: increased bureaucracy, administrative discretion, and a hierarchy of residence permissions. These mechanisms are intended to channel people through “proper” pathways and exclude those deemed “undeserving.” In practice, some individuals find unintended routes through the system, while others face a heightened risk of becoming preventably undocumented and caught in “liminal legality,” with loss of work and housing, distress, and risk of deportation until status is restored. Ideas about deservingness also influence other institutions, such as social welfare, shaping access to economic rights and social mobility. Overall, the thesis argues that citizenship is better understood as a continuum of membership and rights rather than a simple citizen/non-citizen divide.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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