Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 May 2021
262. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the progress to date in the determination of an application for naturalisation for a person (details supplied); when the application will be finalised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29089/21]
View answerAn application for a certificate of naturalisation was received from the person referred to by the Deputy on 9 April 2018. This application is currently being 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.
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 not possible to say what the remaining processing time is for an application that is at an advanced stage. The status of anapplication changes as it moves through the process.
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 at: INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, 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 Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
