Skip to main content
Immigrant Council of Ireland
Get help Donate SearchSearch icon
Search
  • About
  • Get Help
  • Campaigns
  • News
  • Resources
  • Support Us
  • Training

Who We Are

  • Vision & Mission
  • Our stories
  • Meet the team
  • Board of directors
  • Contact us
  • Work with us
  • Sign up for our newsletter

What We’ve Done

  • Impact Statement
  • Stories

How We Work 

  • Our Process
  • Partnerships
  • Independent Law Centre
  • Community Navigators
  • Education & Training

Governance

  • Good Practice & Transparency
  • How we are funded
  • Annual Reports
  • Child Protection Policy

Information Line

  • Call Us
  • Report Racism
  • Information for Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse

Your Rights

  • Know Your Rights
  • Citizenship & Permanency
  • Family Reunification
  • Working in Ireland
  • Domestic Abuse
  • International Students
  • Anti-trafficking
  • Anti-racism

FAQs

  • Top 10 FAQs
  • COVID-19 and immigration FAQs
  • Brexit immigration FAQs
  • Undocumented Regularisation Scheme FAQs

Case Studies

  • Stories
  • Share your story
  • Campaigns
  • Be an Ally Against Racism!
  • Anti-Racism
  • Gender-Based Violence
  • Trafficking of Women and Girls
  • Refugee Crisis
  • Integration
  • Immigration Reform
  • Statelessness
  • Child Migration Matters
  • Show Racism the Red Card
  • EASY. Increasing dialogue, awareness, and victim-centred support for victims of forced marriages
  • Local Migrant Integration Index
  • Immigrant Council training
  • Publications
  • Newsletter
  • Media Resources
  • Useful Links
  • Privacy Statement
  • Donate
  • Fundraise
  • Share your story

 

  • Immigrant Council Training
  • Request more information
  • Intercultural and Anti-racism training
  • Diversity training
  • Immigration process training
  • Migrant political participation training
  • Anti-trafficking training
  • Show Racism the Red Card

 

 

  • About

    Who We Are

    • Vision & Mission
    • Our stories
    • Meet the team
    • Board of directors
    • Contact us
    • Work with us
    • Sign up for our newsletter

    What We’ve Done

    • Impact Statement
    • Stories

    How We Work 

    • Our Process
    • Partnerships
    • Independent Law Centre
    • Community Navigators
    • Education & Training

    Governance

    • Good Practice & Transparency
    • How we are funded
    • Annual Reports
    • Child Protection Policy
  • Get Help

    Information Line

    • Call Us
    • Report Racism
    • Information for Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse

    Your Rights

    • Know Your Rights
    • Citizenship & Permanency
    • Family Reunification
    • Working in Ireland
    • Domestic Abuse
    • International Students
    • Anti-trafficking
    • Anti-racism

    FAQs

    • Top 10 FAQs
    • COVID-19 and immigration FAQs
    • Brexit immigration FAQs
    • Undocumented Regularisation Scheme FAQs

    Case Studies

    • Stories
    • Share your story
  • Campaigns
    • Campaigns
    • Be an Ally Against Racism!
    • Anti-Racism
    • Gender-Based Violence
    • Trafficking of Women and Girls
    • Refugee Crisis
    • Integration
    • Immigration Reform
    • Statelessness
    • Child Migration Matters
    • Show Racism the Red Card
    • EASY. Increasing dialogue, awareness, and victim-centred support for victims of forced marriages
  • News
  • Resources
    • Local Migrant Integration Index
    • Immigrant Council training
    • Publications
    • Newsletter
    • Media Resources
    • Useful Links
    • Privacy Statement
  • Support Us
    • Donate
    • Fundraise
    • Share your story
  • Training

     

    • Immigrant Council Training
    • Request more information
    • Intercultural and Anti-racism training
    • Diversity training
    • Immigration process training
    • Migrant political participation training
    • Anti-trafficking training
    • Show Racism the Red Card

     

     

Get help Donate

Neza

A 7 year-old girl was referred to our law centre after she had been refused Irish citizenship because her father had failed the ‘good character’ test.

Through the work of our Independent Law Centre, the Immigrant Council works every day to defend the rights of migrants with nowhere left to turn. Like Neza*, a 7 year-old girl who was referred to our law centre after she had been refused Irish citizenship because her father had failed the ‘good character’ test. The little girl had been born in Ireland, to a mother from outside the EU and an Irish citizen father.

The parents had separated and the little girl’s mother wanted to ensure her daughter was rooted in the only country she had known as home. However, after making the application she was shocked to find it was rejected due to a failure to meet the ‘good character’ test.

The bad character assessment against the father included barring orders relating to domestic abuse against the child’s mother.

As you cannot appeal citizenship decisions, the Immigrant Council of Ireland provided free legal support to bring the case to the High Court for judicial review.

We were successful and the judge quashed the decision. Justice was delivered by the court for this innocent child. 

Our client and her mother were delighted to win the court case, and we were overjoyed to hear recently that the little girl has finally been granted Irish citizenship!

It’s issues like these that the Immigrant Council continues to tackle, pushing the Government for more resourcing and transparency around immigration legislation and the processing of applications like Neza’s.

* To respect the little girl's privacy we have used a stock photo and different name to tell her story.

Do you have a story you'd like to share?

If you would like to share your story to raise awareness about the issues and experiences around being a migrant in Ireland, please email us.

Back to Stories
Immigrant Council of Ireland logo
Donate Take Action
Follow Us Twitter logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Facebook logo
Contact Immigrant Council of Ireland Contact Immigrant Council of Ireland Contact
Newsletter

About

Who We Are

  • Vision & Mission
  • Meet the Team
  • Board of Directors
  • Work With Us

What We've Done

  • Impact Statement
  • Our Stories

How We Work

  • Our Process
  • Working in Partnership
  • Independent Law Centre
  • Training

Governance

  • Good Practice & Transparency
  • Annual Reports

Get Help

  • Immigration Helpline
  • Call Us
  • Report Racism

Your rights

  • Know Your Rights
  • Citizenship and Permanency
  • Family Reunification
  • Working in Ireland
  • Domestic Abuse
  • International Students
  • Anti-trafficking
  • Anti-racism

FAQs

  • Top 10 FAQs

 

Case Studies 

  • Stories
  • Share your story

Campaigns

  • Campaigns

News

  • Latest news

Resources

  • Publications
  • Media Resources
  • Useful Links

Support Us

  • Donate
  • Fundraise
  • Working in Partnership
Made by Piquant
Copyright © 2023 - Immigrant Council of Ireland - Registered Charity Number 20061982 - Privacy statement