Sinn Féin is preparing a new immigration policy that includes stricter citizenship rules and enhanced North-South cooperation on enforcement. Party leader Mary Lou McDonald said the party has heard the electorate and needs a new plan.

Matt Carthy, Sinn Féin's justice spokesman, last month called for improved passenger verification between Northern Ireland and Britain and an all-island entry-exit scheme. He said it made little sense that passports are now mandatory for travel from the Republic to Britain but not between Northern Ireland and Britain.

A survey by think tank More in Common, conducted after rioting in Northern Ireland in June, found 80 percent of nationalists support an all-island public body to manage immigration. The survey also found that half of nationalists support immigration checks at the Border.

The Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey has tracked attitudes since 2018 and shows hardening views across both communities. Unionists remain significantly more concerned about immigration than nationalists, according to More in Common.

Immigrants have historically concentrated in unionist areas due to housing availability, but rising immigration is now evident everywhere. The UK's international protection system depends almost entirely on rented housing, adding to housing pressure in Sinn Féin's electoral heartlands.

Sinn Féin has been developing the new policy since its ardfheis in Belfast in April. Reports indicate it will involve tighter citizenship rules and an All-Ireland approach to immigration enforcement through better North-South cooperation.

Other parties have proposed similar measures. The Irish Government has criticized the UK for leaving what it calls a back door open through the Common Travel Area. Aontú has called for passport control between Britain and Ireland since 2024. Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan is drafting tighter citizenship rules.