Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 November 2020
582. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the progress to date in the determination of an application for residency status and eligibility for naturalisation in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34818/20]
View answerI am advised that the person referred to by the Deputy has a current permission to remain in the State, on stamp 4 conditions, up to 20 January 2021. Their permission was extended from its original expiry date of 18 April 2020, by the series of automatic extensions of permission provided for in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
An application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person concerned continues to be processed with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible. If further documentation is required, it will be requested from the applicant in due course.
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. It is important that the applicant ensures that his or her contact details, including their current address, is notified to the Citizenship Division of my Department's Immigration Service.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to 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.
