Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 November 2013
144. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the procedure to be followed to regularise residency status in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48737/13]
View answerI am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the person named by the Deputy does not appear to have any permission to be in the State. If this is the case, she is in breach of Section 5(1) of the Immigration Act 2004 which provides that no non-national may be in the State other than in accordance with the terms of any permission given to them by or on behalf of the Minister. Furthermore, Section 5(2) of the Act provides that a non-national who is in the State in contravention of subsection (1) is for all purposes unlawfully present in the State.
The person concerned should immediately contact the Registration Officer, An Garda Síochána regarding their immigration status. In the Dublin area this is the Garda National Immigration Bureau and outside that area it is the office of the Superintendent in charge in the Garda district in which the person is residing.
The Deputy may wish to note that 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 established specifically 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.
