Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 July 2015
131. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 179 of 18 June 2015, the position in regard to long-term residency and eligibility for naturalisation in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26854/15]
View answerI am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the person concerned is currently registered in the State under Stamp 4 conditions as the spouse of an Irish national, valid until 04/12/2015, which is renewable directly with their local Garda Registration Office.
A foreign national who is married to, or is the civil partner of, an Irish citizen for at least three years may apply for naturalisation under section 15A of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended where, inter alia, they have been continuously resident in the island of Ireland for the year immediately prior to the date of their application and for two out of the four years prior to that year. The marriage or civil partnership must be subsisting and recognised under Irish law. Section 15A provides that the Minister may waive certain conditions for naturalisation if satisfied that the applicant would suffer serious consequences in respect of his or her bodily integrity or liberty if not granted Irish citizenship.
Further information surrounding the Naturalisation process can be found on the INIS website www.inis.gov.ie under Citizenship.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the 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 the INIS is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
