Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 March 2021
688. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Justice if the automatic visa extensions given to stamp 4 visa holders until the end of April 2021 will count towards the minimum requirements for naturalisation for visa holders whose extended visas have an earlier date on them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11755/21]
View answerTo ensure that people do not fall out of permission during the Covid-19 pandemic, six automatic extensions of immigration permissions have been provided, the most recent to 20 April 2021. The renewal of permission is on the same basis as the existing permission and the same conditions attach.
Periods of automatic renewal of permission at this time will count as reckonable residence for citizenship purposes in circumstances where the person already held a permission that counted as reckonable residence.
Due to the public health restrictions currently in place under Level 5 of the Government's Framework for Restrictive Measures in Response to Covid-19, the Registration Office in Burgh Quay has been closed since 23 December 2020, until further notice.
All registration renewals in the Dublin area are now being processed online only and the system has been available for all applicants since 20 July 2020 at https://inisonline.jahs.ie. Last December, the requirement to include a passport as part of an application was removed. This reduces the time taken to process the application and eliminates the associated cost of the registered post when sending the passport as part of the application.
The online renewal system is available to people who:
- Are resident in Dublin City or Dublin County;
- Are currently in the State;
- Have previously registered with the Immigration Service;
- Are renewing one of the following stamps: Stamp 0, Stamp 1, Stamp 1A, Stamp1G Stamp 2, Stamp 2A, Stamp 3, Stamp 4, or Stamp4EUFAM; and
- Have an IRP card that is expired or is due to expire within 29 days.
Further information on the operation of this service is available on our website at: http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/renew-registration
Renewals of registrations for persons residing outside of the Dublin area are processed by the Garda National Immigration Bureau through the Garda Station network. Information on the contact details for all the registration offices outside Dublin is available at: https://www.garda.ie/en/about-us/our-departments/office-of-corporate-communications/news-media/reopening-of-registration-offices.html.
Further updates will be provided on the Immigration Service website when available at: http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/COVID-19-updates-and-announcements.
