I am informed by the Citizenship Division of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) that the Division is currently commencing further processing of applications received in mid 2009.
The average processing time from application to decision for the generality of valid applications for a certificate of naturalisation is currently 25 months and this has been maintained despite the substantial increases in the volume of applications received in recent years.
The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is an honour not an entitlement. Applications must be processed in a way which preserves the necessary checks and balances to ensure that it is not undervalued and is given only to persons who satisfy the necessary qualifying criteria.
In accordance with the commitment in the Programme for Government I have requested my officials to explore options for the more efficient processing and determination of citizenship applications within a reasonable time. My intention is to reduce the processing time in this area to the greatest possible extent within the resource envelope available for this work.