Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 December 2012
226. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding a residency naturalisation application in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 15; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57646/12]
View answerOfficials in the Citizenship Division of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) inform me that there is no record of an application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to in the Deputy's question.
Legally resident non-EEA nationals over the age of sixteen years are required to register with their local immigration registration officer.
It is open to any individual to lodge an application for citizenship if and when they are in a position to meet the statutory requirements as prescribed in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 as amended. Section 16 of the Act provides however that the Minister may, in his absolute discretion, grant an application for a certificate of naturalisation, although the conditions for naturalisation (or any of them) are not complied with, where the applicant is a naturalised Irish citizen acting on behalf of a minor child under the age of 18 years.
The naturalised parent of the person concerned may consider submitting an application for naturalisation on behalf of her child once the minor has regularised her immigration status with the relevant authorities and before she reaches the age 18. After that point she would be required to submit an application in her own right as an adult.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
