The procedures employed to assess an application for naturalisation are set out on the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service, www.inis.gov.ie. Upon receipt, an initial examination of each application is carried out to determine if the statutory application is completed fully. Valid applications are examined to determine if the applicant meets the statutory residency criteria. Applicants with any shortfall in their residency are informed of this and will be able to reapply when they have the required residency. Those whose applications successfully pass the initial assessment stage are informed that their application has been initially assessed and has proceeded successfully to the second stage of processing and that their case will be submitted to the Minister for decision as soon as enquiries are complete and all required documentation has been compiled. Applicants are also given a general timescale for processing which currently is that less complex cases which account for more than 70% of all applications will be decided upon within 6 months with a proportion of applications taking longer than this timeframe. If any further information or documentation is required from the applicant then this is requested in writing.
When I came into office in March, 2011, I was determined to tackle the backlog that had built up in the processing of applications for citizenship.To this end, a series of more streamlined measures have resulted in a major increase in the volume of applications processed with some 22,500 cases decided so far in 2012, almost three times the volume in 2010. The Deputy will appreciate that, bearing in mind the volumes involved and the importance of processing cases as quickly as possible, it is not possible to provide specific timeframes to each applicant. In any event this information will not be known until each application is examined in detail.
The Deputy will also be aware that alongside the improvements in processing, in June 2011, I introduced formal citizenship ceremonies for the first time since the foundation of the State. The ceremonies, which are being met with universal approval, are held at regular intervals. They allow candidates for citizenship make their declaration of fidelity to the Irish nation and loyalty to the State and receive their certificate of naturalisation in a meaningful and dignified manner which befits the importance and solemnity of the occasion. As many as 4,000 candidates receive their certificate of naturalisation on each ceremony day. In dealing with such large volumes, it is necessary to structure the process in such a way as to ensure that these large scale ceremony days run smoothly and efficiently. As much notice as possible is provided to candidates and those who cannot attend are facilitated at a future ceremony.
Finally, I think the Deputy will acknowledge that enormous strides have been made with dealing with citizenship applications since March 2011. The situation inherited by me upon being appointed was unacceptable and this has now been turned around to the extent that the new arrangements for granting citizenship have been universally welcomed. In the circumstances, I am somewhat surprised that a person who may have waited for a lengthy period to have his/her application processed would choose to travel outside the jurisdiction and not take up the request to attend a ceremony without good reason. As I indicated earlier, in any event, no person is denied citizenship by not being able to attend a ceremony; they are facilitated on the next available occasion.
