Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 June 2023
152. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice for an update on the application for citizenship of a person (details supplied); and if she will consider a review of this application given the difficulties posed by Covid-19 and the closure of services and schools in quarter 2 2020. [29978/23]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that a decision issued to the person concerned by registered post on 23 May 2023.
The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. All applications for a certificate of naturalisation are processed in line with the eligibility criteria as set out under the Irish Naturalisation and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. Each application is assessed individually in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
It is open to the parents of the cited person to make a further application for the grant of a certificate of naturalisation at any time.
Section 6A of the 1956 Act also provides details on the criteria for naturalisation that applies to a child born to parents who were legally resident in the State at the time of their birth. If the minor was born in the State after 1 January 2005, and was not entitled to Irish citizenship at the time of birth, but has since accumulated five years’ reckonable residence they are eligible for citizenship and should use Form 11 when making an application. However, minors cannot apply for naturalisation in their own right. The application must be made by their parent, legal guardian or person acting on the child's behalf "in loco parentis".
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.
