Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 17 Apr 2002

Vol. 552 No. 1

Written Answers. - Visa Applications.

John Gormley

Question:

523 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason the daughter of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 6 has been denied entrance here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10983/02]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue)

The mother and daughter in question are aged 84 years and 51 years, respectively. They are Australian citizens, have rights of residence in Australia and have lived in Australia for most of their lives. The daughter previously lived in Ireland for two years until 15 years ago. The mother is an Irish citizen by descent, her grandfather having been born in Ireland, and therefore has rights of residence in Ireland. The mother and daughter had been in Canada on visitors' visas and Australian passports but overstayed the duration of their permission to remain. They sought permission, with the assistance of an immigration lawyer, to reside in Canada on the basis that the mother's medical condition rendered it impossible for her to travel and that they had become established there.

The application was turned down and the Canadian immigration authorities obtained a medical opinion from two specialists indicating that the mother was in a position to travel. The daughter was deported to Australia. My understanding is that the Canadian authorities intended to make arrangements for the deportation of the mother to Australia. In the event the mother, being an Irish citizen also, was deported to Ireland at the request of her daughter.

Subsequently, a senior official in the immigration and citizenship division of my Department was contacted by the Australian Embassy to establish whether the daughter would be admitted to Ireland for a month to visit her mother, with a view to facilitating her mother's return to Australia. Notwithstanding her previous immigration history in Canada, this request was acceded to and the Australian Embassy was asked to notify my Department of her flight details to ensure the immigration authorities at Dublin Airport would be informed in advance to obviate any potential difficulties upon her arrival. The embassy contacted an official in my Department with a view to correcting information previously supplied. It stated it was now aware that the daughter intended to overstay the agreed period and did not have sufficient funds to reschedule an airline ticket which she had already purchased. The official was aware that the daughter had expressed an interest in moving to Ireland permanently and, consequently, the previous commitment given by my Department was revoked.

No independent evidence, such as a bank statement, has been supplied to my Department to show that the daughter is in a position to support herself and her mother in this jurisdiction without recourse to public funds. Her intention seems to be to seek employment here although she has neither a job offer nor a work permit obtained by an employer on her behalf. It should be noted that it is a principle of immigration control worldwide that persons wishing to reside in another jurisdiction must be in a position to show, prior to obtaining leave to land, that they are in a position to support themselves and their dependants without recourse to public funds.