{"id":3730,"date":"2018-10-29T14:16:40","date_gmt":"2018-10-29T19:16:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=3730"},"modified":"2018-10-31T09:17:53","modified_gmt":"2018-10-31T14:17:53","slug":"passport-applications-soar-in-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=3730","title":{"rendered":"Passport Applications Soar in 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Figures from the Irish embassy in London suggest 2018 will be a record year for passport applications.<\/p>\n

Nearly 45,000 people have applied for a passport in the first half of the year.<\/p>\n

It is thought demand could reach 90,000 by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

That would be an increase of around 10,000 on 2017.<\/p>\n

Fine Gael Senator Neale Richmond says the rise in demand is Brexit-related.<\/p>\n

“Those who are entitled to passports are either grandchildren or children of Irish citizens. They are staking their claim to there citizenship,” said Mr Richmond.<\/p>\n

“Given that we are on course for 90,000 applicants in 2018 and the year before the [Brexit] referendum we had about 45,000 – which is the consistent number – we’ve seen this increase double due to one major thing that happened in 2016.<\/p>\n

“There might be smaller issues, but in the large, it has all been Brexit related and the fears that come with that.”<\/p>\n

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