Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 October 2019
263. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will consider an application for a certificate of naturalisation for a person (details supplied) under the provisions of section 15A (2) of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39516/19]
View answerA certificate of naturalisation may be granted to applicants who comply with certain conditions under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, as amended. Section 15A of the Act provides that a certificate of naturalisation may be granted to the non-national spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen if, among other things, the applicant has been married to or in a civil partnership with that citizen for a period of not less than 3 years and has been resident on the island of Ireland for a period of 1 year immediately prior to the date of application and for 2 years in the 4 year period before that.
I am advised by the Immigration Service of my Department that an application for a certificate of naturalisation was received from the person referred to by the Deputy in May 2019.
The documentation submitted with the application showed that, at the date of the application, the person concerned had not completed the required three years period of residency and had not been married to, or in a civil partnership with, an Irish citizen for the required period. Therefore, the application was deemed ineligible and the person concerned was notified in writing.
It is open to the person concerned to lodge a new application when they are in a position to meet the statutory requirements applicable.
Section 15A(2) provides that I may, in my absolute discretion, waive some of the conditions in relation to an application from a spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen if I am satisfied that the applicant would suffer serious consequences in respect of his or her bodily integrity or liberty if not granted Irish citizenship. It is incumbent on any applicant making an application under Section 15A(2) to make me fully aware of all the factors relevant to the application and why it should be considered under this section.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the Immigration Service 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 Immigration Service is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
