The potential ‘Brexit’ is causing a lot of concern across the water, it seems.
The number of British-born people applying for their first Irish passport has increased by over 33% between 2014 and 2015 as the prospect of Britain exiting the European Union this summer looms closer.
According to The Guardian, who obtained the figures from the Department of Foreign Affairs, 507 adults born in England, Scotland or Wales applied for their first Irish passport, on the basis of having an Irish grandparent, in 2015, an increase of 128 on the year before.
There was also a significant increase (11%) in applications from British-born people with at least one Irish parent, with 3,736 applications for Irish passports in 2015 compared to 3,376 in 2014.
British people will go to the polls in June to decide whether or not they want to remain a part of the EU and should they vote for a ‘Brexit,’ the possession of an Irish passport by eligible candidates will ensure they retain the right to move, reside and work freely within the EU borders.
Britain’s potential exiting of the EU is not the only reason eligible British-born people would apply for an Irish passport, of course (applicants are not asked to state why they’re applying) but the increase in applications would appear to suggest that it’s certainly a factor.
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