Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 February 2017
88. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the procedure to be followed to regularise residency here in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7968/17]
View answerI am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that they do not have a record of the person named by the Deputy currently registered in the State. Without further details or a date of birth, it is not possible to make further checks. As no details of family members have been given I cannot comment any further in this regard. If the person concerned wishes to regularise their status in the State they should write to Residence Unit 2 in INIS outlining a history of their stay in the State and by providing a full copy of their passport.
From the limited details provided, it appears that the person concerned may never have had permission to remain in the State and they should be aware that it is illegal for them, under the Immigration Act 2004, to remain in the State without permission from the Minister for Justice and Equality. A person found guilty of such an offence is liable, under Section 13 of the Immigration Act 2004, to a fine not exceeding €3,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both. In addition, it is apparent that the person concerned has failed to meet the requirements of Section 9 of the Immigration Act 2004, which sets out the obligations of non-nationals in respect of registration.
Might I remind the Deputy, that queries in relation to individual cases may be made directly to INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been 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 Parliamentary Question 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. In the cases of persons who are illegally present in the State they should always be advised to make an application to INIS.
