Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 11 October 2023
166. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the number of citizenship applications currently awaiting a decision; the number of applications granted and refused citizenship each year over the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44445/23]
View answerI am deeply conscious of how important the granting of naturalisation is to all of those who apply for it. The median processing time for applications currently stands at 19 months.
My Department is aware that delays in processing times are frustrating and disruptive for applicants, and are working hard to improve the position. The Citizenship Division intends to regularly communicate with all applicants on a more regular basis into the future, to keep them updated on the status of their application.
Significant changes are underway within the naturalisation process as the Citizenship Division examines how it can become more efficient. One of the improvements that has become visible recently has been the reduction in wait times for files to be registered. Last year it took on average about 7 months for a file to be acknowledged. This year it is done in a matter of weeks. A related improvement is that Garda vetting is now carried out earlier in the naturalisation process to help improve processing efficiency.
To ensure older files are also progressing under the new system, Citizenship Division wrote to 13,000 applicants in May with electronic links to commence eVetting. When the vetting is complete, and any additional information is not awaited from an applicant, the file will be progressed towards naturalisation.
The number of applications currently on hand at the end of September is approximately 31,000. 4,210 of these are at the final stage of the application process; that is, are due to make their certificate fee payment or are being scheduled for attendance at a ceremony.
It is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. However, the nature of the naturalisation process is such that, for a broad range of reasons, some cases will take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.
I have provided the details requested by the Deputy in the table below. Please note that decisions issued in any year may relate to applications which were received in a previous year due to the time taken to process applications.
|
Year |
Granted |
Refused |
|
2017 |
7,642 |
521 |
|
2018 |
8,624 |
1,250 |
|
2019 |
8,766 |
50 |
|
2020 |
4,615 |
8 |
|
2021 |
10,491 |
696 |
|
2022 |
14,249 |
405 |
|
2023 YtD* |
10,882 |
111 |
*2023 figure to the end September. May be subject to slight variance following data cleansing.
