Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 May 2016
42. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the processing times for European Union treaty rights visa applications for qualifying family members; and the steps she is taking to ensure compliance with the requirement to process such applications on the basis of an accelerated procedure. [10157/16]
View answerI am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that visa applications from 'qualifying family members' who wish to travel to Ireland under the terms of 2004/38/EC Directive on the rights of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of Member States are processed in chronological order of receipt. While every effort is made to process these applications within a reasonable time frame, processing times generally will vary having regard to the volume of applications in each processing centre, their complexity and the resources available.
I am further advised that there has been an exponential increase in such applications since the second quarter of 2015. As proceedings in this regard are currently before the courts in a number of cases, the Deputy will appreciate that I am somewhat limited in what I can say on the matter. However, I can say that there are increasing concerns around potential abuse of the EU Directive in relation to such cases and the State has an obligation to take into account the overall integrity of its immigration system in dealing with applications. This also impacts on processing times.
