Originally Posted by JDWoowoo50

Many excellent points made here since my last post. I have learned a lot. Many thanks, everyone.

I agree with the comment that the easiest (and likely the best) option for the OP is to reapply for his citizenship. Unless of course he has other motives (which may well be entirely "legit") to hold on to his Irish citizenship and passport for now. We don't know what his exact situation is here now, so anything more we write will be entirely conjecture.

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Originally Posted by JDWoowoo50

My situation is somewhat of an aside, but it may be relevant to some.

I lived in Australia as a permanent resident until 1980 when I signed on the dotted line and became a citizen. Even then I opted to hang on to my (dual nationality) Canadian passport as back then I made regular trips home to see family. I did query the good people at Immigration about this and they said no worries, just go. However, I did need a re-entry visa to come back, which was always granted and stamped in my passport in 1-2 days.

In 1993 or 1995 I was at Immigration for a re-entry visa when someone advised me I should get an Australian passport. They explained this would save me no end of hassles on returning as some Immigration staff at airports could be "toey" about arrivals flashing foreign passports and there could be questions asked and delays expected before I was let in.

I saw the writing on the wall and went for the Australian passport. I now no longer hold a Canadian passport as I've not been back for many years, however Ottawa it seems now requires me to get a Canadian passport to be let into the country of my birth and where I still hold citizenship. Consular staff in Canberra admitted that yes, this looked and smelled like a cash-grab and a bureaucratic complication.

I specifically asked if I would be allowed into Canada if I turned up at the border, say from the USA after having been admitted there, with an Australian passport. They said the "fact" that I was born in Canada basically had no relevance and the new rule was you want to go to Canada, you get a Canadian passport. As well, whichever passport I flashed at the time of arrival at the border, the final decision as to yay or nay would be entirely at the discretion of the Immigration official I was talking to at the time and place.

The price of the Canuck passport was also high and I opted not to get it. As I've not been back to Canada since, this hasn't been a problem.

SO and I are now thinking of making an extended visit to Canada in 2024. Given my age, this would probably be my last time to see my native shores.

I expect to be contacting the Canadian Consulate in Canberra again about this, and the merry-go-round may start spinning all over again. Such is life.

Originally Posted by JDWoowoo50

I do not want or need two passports. I live in Australia and an Australian passport serves me best. The point I made (you seem to have missed or overlooked this) was I now need a Canadian passport to return to my original home country, and if I get one,I may put my Australian citizenship at risk. I've been aware of this since the 1990s when Immigration Australia made me aware of their requirement that as a citizen of this country, I should ideally travel on their passport. Which I do.

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