Approximately 4,000 people are to be granted Irish citizenship after their applications were significantly delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The applicants are due to be naturalised by the end of March as part of a temporary process according to the Department of Justice.
This follows a decision last year to suspend in-person citizenship ceremonies last year because of restrictions on large gatherings, which resulted in a backlog of over 24,000 applications waiting to be processed according to The Irish Times.
The Department said the 4,000 people will sign a "statutory declaration of loyalty" instead of attending a citizenship ceremony as waiting for the events to be held in-person would lead to long delays.
Those who qualify under the temporary scheme will be asked to complete the statutory declaration sent by the Department via email and the document must then be brought to a designated official to witness the declaration being signed, before being returned to the Department with the appropriate fee.
The Department will contact applicants regarding the changes on a phased basis, until in-person ceremonies can resume, which is expected to be in December.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee welcomed the introduction of the temporary scheme, noting the contribution of many applicants who have worked as frontline workers during the pandemic.
