Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 November 2021
478. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice if additional staff can be provided to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service on a temporary basis to facilitate the processing of a backlog of appointments to obtain and renew visas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56158/21]
View answerMy Department consistently works in partnership with the Public Appointments Service to ensure optimum staffing levels across the Immigration Service Delivery function and continuously reviews staffing levels to ensure that each area is adequately and efficiently resourced. Regarding the Registration Office in particular, a number of additional measures have been put in place to help clear the backlog, and to process appointments efficiently.
Staff in the Registration Office have been working extra hours, including at weekends, to meet the demand for first-time registrations, renewal of permissions, and re-entry visas for minors. The public office in Burgh Quay is now open from 08:00 to 20:30 to provide assistance to customers wishing to register.
Public health guidance currently determines the number of appointments that can be facilitated each day, while maintaining safe levels in the public office. Currently, almost 1,000 customers are being registered every week. Our staff continue to engage with stakeholders to understand how their needs can best be met. Since the introduction of a new online system for the renewal of permissions for Dublin-based customers in July 2020, over 98,000 applications have been processed.
This week, I announced a number of customer focused immigration changes to simplify and streamline the processing of citizenship applications and to facilitate immigration requirements for our customers over the Christmas period, as follows:
- From 1 January, new applicants for citizenship will not be required to submit their original passport with the initial application.
- Re-entry visas for minors are suspended over Christmas to facilitate families making travel plans.
- Customers in the State benefitting from the extension of immigration permissions to 15 January 2022 will see their Irish Residence Permits extended to the same date
The Deputy can be assured that I am deeply conscious of how important the granting of naturalisation is to those who apply for it. My Department has continued to accept and process citizenship applications throughout the pandemic and at all levels of public health restrictions, and is on track to make 11,000 citizenship decisions this year.
I and my officials continue to explore new ways of processing citizenship applications in a timely and efficient manner, improving service to our customers and reducing waiting times.
