Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 January 2005
721 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will list the various types of visa processed by his Department for entry into the State; the details of the application form and documentation required in each case; the average waiting time for processing each type of visa; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1151/05]
View answerThere are two categories of visa, single journey and multi journey. Within both categories there are two types, type one granting the applicant permission to remain in the State for a period up to three months and type two granting the applicant permission to remain for extended periods over three months. Visas to enter the State are sought for a number of reasons: holiday visit, business, conference, employment, exam, interview, join parent or spouse, medical reasons, religious events, sports tournaments, study purposes, training. Information requested on the application form covers in general: personal details including citizenship and travel document information; details of any family members who intend to travel to the State with the applicant or join them thereafter; employment details in country of residence, or study details as appropriate; purpose of journey and proposed entry and departure dates — determines what type of visa is required; details of the applicant's reference in Ireland; details of any previous applications for Irish visas and the outcome of each. The application form is available free of charge from both the Department of Foreign Affairs visa office and from Irish Embassies and Consulates abroad.
Every effort is being made to process applications as quickly as possible. Decisions on applications are currently taking, on average, four to six weeks to process. This is due to the high volume of applications received.
