Irish Kiwis rush for passports
Kiwi OE at risk as nearing Brexit seems likely to close door to Europe.
As confirmation of Brexit nears, Kiwis with Irish heritage are scrambling to get Irish passports so they can reap the benefits of European citizenship.
British Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty on Wednesday, which will give the UK two years to negotiate the terms of its split from the EU.
The UK’s decision to leave the EU is likely to affect the traditional Kiwi OE as two-year UK working holiday visas granted to young adults from New Zealand have often been used as Kiwis’ tickets to Europe, allowing them to travel freely within the EU while living in Britain.
But with the UK leaving the EU it is likely the visas will no longer allow as much flexibility.
However, because Ireland remains in the EU, Kiwis with Irish passports will still be able to work and live in Europe easily. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Dublin issued 1874 passports to people born in New Zealand last year, 18 per cent more than in 2015 when 1604 passports were issued.
New Zealand’s Honorary ConsulGeneral, Niamh McMahon, said passport applications had been streaming into the Auckland consulate since British citizens voted to leave the European Union in a referendum last June.
“I think there is a direct correlation to Brexit.
“We’re drawing the lines between the dots.”
She told the Herald on Sunday she expected the trend to continue after Article 50 was triggered. “It will be interesting to watch.” The thriving Irish economy and the nation’s Rugby World Cup bid could also be drawcards for Kiwis of Irish descent to return to the motherland, McMahon said.
“The country is cracking along very well.”
Meanwhile, here in Aotearoa, there are quite a few Brits interested in Kiwi citizenship post-Brexit.
According to data sourced from the Department of Internal Affairs, 4906 people born in the UK were granted New Zealand citizenship in 2016 — 23 per cent more than in 2015 when just under 4000 UK citizens officially became Kiwis.
Citizenship applications from Americans also jumped after the election of President Donald Trump.
In the 12 weeks after Trump was declared leader of the free world on November 8, 170 US citizens applied for New Zealand citizenship, compared with 100 during the same period in 2015.
In total Internal Affairs approved 577 applications for New Zealand citizenship from Americans last year, the highest number in at least seven years.
In 2015 only 465 US immigrants became New Zealand citizens.
And immigration officials are bracing themselves for the possibility of even more Brits and Americans flocking to our shores, with numerous articles in overseas publications lauding the country.