Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 February 2019
121. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the procedure to be followed by a person (details supplied) in view of the fact this person never received an invitation to attend the citizenship ceremony that took place on 21 May 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7607/19]
View answerI am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that, as indicated in my response to the Deputy's Parliamentary Question No. 121 of the 17 January 2019, the person referred to by the Deputy was invited to attend a citizenship ceremony which took place on 21 May 2018 in The Killarney Convention Centre, Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney, Co. Kerry but failed to attend. It is incumbent on Mr Kifu to write to the Citizenship Division outlining the reason for his non-attendance at the above-mentioned ceremony and requesting an invitation to a future ceremony, if he wishes to attend same.
The records indicate that the current permission to reside in the State granted to the person concerned expired on 22 May 2018. It is up to the person concerned to seek permission to remain beyond the expiry of his current permission. All non-EEA nationals are required to keep their permission to remain in the State up to date at all times, and to have such permission registered. Failure to do so may adversely affect an application for a certificate of naturalisation
As the Deputy will appreciate, the granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements, not only within the State but also at European Union level, and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.
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.
