Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 June 2022
679. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Justice if there is any progress in shortening the delays in renewal of visas; if she has any system for fast-tracking applications where an important family event requires travel arrangements to be made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32291/22]
View answerI understand that the Deputy is referring to the registration and renewal process for immigration permissions.
Since the onset of the pandemic, immigration permissions were extended nine times, which meant that people who held a valid permission to be in the State in March 2020 were legally permitted to remain until 31 May 2022.
These extensions were made in the context of an uncertain health and international travel situation to provide assistance and assurance to people who use our immigration services.Now that those circumstances are returning to normal, it is important that we also return to a more normal way of doing business. This includes in relation to first-time registrations and renewals, and processes and procedures are in place to allow customers to do so.
As part of my Department’s ongoing work to meet the current unprecedented demand for first-time registration appointments, at the Registration Office Burgh Quay, on 10 January 2022, a Freephone service (1800 741 741) was introduced for customers. The current operating hours are 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and all appointments for Dublin based customers to register their immigration permission for the first time are now issued through this service. Operators offer one appointment per call, unless it is for an identifiable family group.
To date, the service has provided 27,428 appointments with a further 7,499 appointments booked to early August. Applications are currently being processed on a seven days a week basis.
Dublin based customers who are seeking to renew their permission can continue to do so online at: inisonline.jahs.ie/user/login. Since its introduction in July 2020, the online renewal process has completed approximately 138,000 applications.
Customers wishing to renew an immigration permission may apply online up to 12 weeks in advance of their current permission’s expiration date. Current processing times are longer than usual because of extremely high demand. The Registration Office is working to process renewals as quickly as possible. I have significantly increased staff capacity to process the applications on hand. Staff are supporting customers who have travel plans in place through the customer service helpdesk. Customers are asked to email my Department at immigrationsupport@justice.ie putting ‘Flights booked for Travel’ in the subject box. Customers should also include proof of paid flights in their name so that these applications can be prioritised.
My Department's Registration Office customer service team is also available to support customers who may have language difficulties or who may need assistance with translation. A number of multi-lingual videos describing the registration process and what to expect are available on my Department's website www.irishimmigration.ie.
My Department's Registration Office in Burgh Quay is responsible for registering immigration permissions for customers residing in the Dublin area only. First time registrations and renewals for customers outside of the Dublin area are processed by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) through the Garda Station network. The allocation of appointments with GNIB is a matter for An Garda Síochána.
