Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 March 2022
548. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Justice the total number of naturalisation applications; the number that are waiting more than 18 months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15872/22]
View answer556. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons that are waiting between 12 to 24 and 24 to 36 months for a decision from the date of their first application to the Department for a certificate of naturalisation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16067/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 548 and 556 together.
I am deeply conscious of how important the granting of naturalisation is to those who apply for it and my Department continued to accept and process citizenship applications throughout the pandemic and during all levels of public health restrictions.
At the end of February 2022, there were 25,048 naturalisation applications in progress. The table below provides a breakdown of applications by length of time in the system.
|
0 - 12 month |
12 to less than 18 months |
18 to less than 24 months |
24 months+ |
Total |
|
10,710 |
5,800 |
3,094 |
5,444 |
25,048 |
However it should be noted that last year, my Department made 11,512 citizenship decisions, which is the highest level since 2015.Currently, there are 2,556 approved applications in the system that require the completion and submission of the Declaration of fidelity to the nation and loyalty to the State, the payment of the statutory fee and the submission of other required documents by the applicants. These applications will then be finalised and the certificate of naturalisation awarded.
All applications for a certificate of naturalisation are processed and assessed individually in accordance with the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended.
Current processing times have been extended due to the combined impact of the 2019 High Court judgment in the Jones case and the necessary health and safety related restrictions imposed as a result of the Covid-19 disruption.
My Department has also been unable to hold in person citizenship ceremonies during this time. However, I'm pleased to say that, subject to public health guidelines, my Department currently intends to host in-person citizenship ceremonies in June and December of this year in Killarney.
The citizenship application process is reviewed on an ongoing basis to continually improve customer service quality. Feedback from applicants is taken on board and, as a result, a much more simplified, customer-focused and streamlined mechanism for applicants to provide their proofs of residence has recently been introduced.
To further speed up the processing of applications, a number of digitisation measures have also been introduced to increase efficiency in the process, including eTax clearance, eVetting and online payments. The end result of the digitisation process will be to free up more staff to focus on processing applications in a timely and efficient manner, to improve service to our customers and reduce waiting times. Additional staff have also been assigned to the citizenship team.
Since the beginning of this year, new applicants for citizenship no longer have to submit their original passport with their application. Instead, they can provide a full colour copy of their entire passport, including the front and back covers. This change in practice is welcomed by our customers and is also freeing up valuable staff time that up to now has been engaged in returning passports to applicants.
