Patrick Costello
Question:468. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons with an open application for leave to remain on humanitarian grounds at present. [44172/20]
View answerThursday, 17 December 2020
Questions (468)
Written answers
What is sometimes referred to as an application for humanitarian leave to remain is, in fact, the submission of written representations against the making of a deportation order, as provided for under section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended). As part of the consideration of any such case – leading to a decision to make a deportation order or to grant permission to remain – a number of matters, all set out in section 3(6) of the 1999 Act, fall to be considered, one of them being humanitarian considerations.
As of close of business last Friday, 11December 2020, there were 3,521 Leave to Remain cases being considered by the Immigration Service of my Department. A manual review of each of these records would be required to identify which contain a specific claim on humanitarian grounds. This would divert resources away from processing and take an inordinate amount of time.