Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 May 2020
407. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if emergency social welfare payments paid due to Covid-19 will affect future citizenship applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5096/20]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that an application for a certificate of naturalisation will not be adversely affected if an applicant, who loses their employment as a result of COVID 19 pandemic, is in receipt of the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.
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.
It is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. However, the nature of the naturalisation process is such that, for a broad range of reasons, some cases will take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.
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 is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
