Visa applications are processed as speedily as possible having regard to the numbers on hand and the resources available to process them. Although the INIS website advises applicants to allow six to eight weeks for visa applications to be processed, in fact most applications are processed much faster than that. In my Department's dedicated overseas visa offices, most applications are typically processed in 2-3 weeks, often in 2-5 days for very straightforward short stay visas. Applications referred to Dublin are generally being turned around within 10-15 days of receipt in Dublin and, again, very straightforward applications for short stay visas are often processed in 2-5 days. This figure for applications processed in Dublin does not include the time the application has spent in transit to Ireland, often up to 2 weeks or more, depending on the place of origin of the application. While statistics have yet to be finalised for 2009, approximately 65,500 visas were granted and 10,700 were refused. At the end of December 2009, 1,886 Irish visa applications and 233 appeals against visa refusals were in transit or awaiting decision worldwide.