Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 October 2017
130. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason spouse of an Irish national, SOIN, applications are taking 12 months to process; the steps that are being taken to reduce this time; the options available to a person who wants to work while waiting for their application to be processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44081/17]
View answerI am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that while the Spouse of Irish National Unit endeavours to process applications as quickly as possible, processing times may vary due to a number of factors, such as the number of applications on hands, individual circumstances, the complexity of applications, whether further information is required, and the resources available.
I should point out that the Spouse of Irish National Unit, within INIS, process applications for persons who have no current permission to reside in the State. This is an important distinction as it should be noted that where an individual enters the State, having initially obtained the correct visa, or where they seek to register their SOIN related immigration permission while 'in permission', they may be registered at their local Immigration Office 'over the counter' in a much simpler procedure.
As the Deputy will appreciate, the onus is on the applicant to remain in permission. Any person who contravenes subsections (2), (3) or (4) of Section 9 of the Immigration Act 2004 is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding €3,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or both.
I am also advised by the INIS that their practices and procedures have been, and continue to be, reviewed in order to reduce the time it takes to process an application, e.g. the introduction of new application forms and explanatory leaflets. The Deputy may be interested to know that following the introduction of an in-depth application form some time ago, the standard initial permission for such applications was increased from 12 months to 36 months in most instances.
Furthermore, I am advised that if an applicant wishes to work while their application is being processed they may consider applying for a work permit from the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department 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.
