Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 December 2021
121. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Justice if she is taking steps to address the acute shortage of appointments with the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service, Burgh Quay for visa renewals given no appointments are reportedly available until January 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60650/21]
View answerDublin based customers seeking to renew their immigration permission do not need to make an appointment at the office in Burgh Quay. Since July 2020, all renewals of permissions for Dublin based customers are being processed online at: inisonline.jahs.ie. Since then, over 98,000 applications have been processed online.
Additionally, 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.
For customers seeking to register for the first time, the public office in Burgh Quay is now open from 08:00 to 20:30 to provide assistance to customers. Customers should continue to apply directly for appointments as they become available without charge, through the online appointments system: burghquayregistrationoffice.inis.gov.ie.
Currently, public health guidance determines the number of appointments that safely be facilitated each day in the public office. Almost 1,000 customers are being registered every week. My staff continue to engage with stakeholders to understand how their needs can best be met.
