Eric Zhi Ying Mei Xue

Eric Zhi Ying Mei Xue is a fourth-class pupil at St Cronan’s school in Bray, County Wicklow.

Ten-year-old Eric, who was born in Ireland and has never been out of the country, was facing deportation.

However this afternoon, after 67,234 people signed a petition calling for the Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan to revoke his deportation order, it has emerged that the order has been lifted.

Emma O’Kelly, of RTÉ, reports:

Eric was born here but he is not an Irish citizen. However, he is not a Chinese citizen either and has never lived anywhere other than Ireland.

In the past few days his mother, Leena Mei Mei Xue, from Co Wicklow, has received notice that she and her son have been granted leave to remain.

Eric’s mother came here 12 years ago from China, aged 19. Her attempts to regularise her residency failed and a deportation order was served against her in 2015. A subsequent appeal was rejected.

Last October she was told by immigration authorities that they were preparing travel documents so that she and Eric could be deported to China.

In 2004 a referendum was passed which provided that children who are born here to foreign national parents no longer had a constitutional right to Irish citizenship.

Deportation order against Wicklow schoolboy lifted (RTÉ)