Vol. 419 No. 3
11 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Justice the measures he proposes to take to eliminate any unnecessary obstacles being experienced by applicants for business and visitor visas to this country; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
33 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Justice if his attention has been drawn to the fact that countless applicants for visitor and business visas to this country are being turned down without any reason being given; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 33 together.
At the outset, I would like to remind the House that the vast majority of persons who visit this country, either for touristic or business reasons, do not require a visa. Where a visa is required there are no obstacles put in the way of people who genuinely wish to visit us as tourists or for business purposes. Indeed, for those bona fide tourists and business people who visit us on a regular basis, and for whom there is a visa requirement, multiple entry visas are available to reduce the level of delay and bureaucratic inconvenience which multiple applications would otherwise impose.
Where doubts arise as to whether a particular application for a visa is a genuine one, the referee in Ireland, who is named by the applicant when applying, is normally consulted with a view to dispelling those doubts. When this is possible, a visa will issue. When it is not, a decision is taken in the light of all of the circumstances surrounding each case and each application is considered on its own merits.
It is generally speaking the international practice not to disclose the reasons for the refusal of visa applications.
