Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 November 2023
362. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the steps now being taken to finalise the application for citizenship in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50662/23]
View answerThe naturalisation application from the person referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed by my Department.
This naturalisation application is based upon "Irish Association" and not residency in the State. At present "Irish association" cases are taking in excess of 30 months to process.
Section 16 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, gives the Minister discretion to waive the statutory conditions in certain circumstances, including where the applicant is of Irish descent or Irish associations (related through blood, affinity or adoption to a person who is or is entitled to be an Irish citizen).
Any application under Section 16 that relies on Irish associations and affinity should be supported by substantive documentation that in the Minister’s view renders the application exceptional and one where the normal pathways to citizenship provided for under the legislation are not appropriate.
The Deputy should be aware that there is no automatic right or entitlement to have any of the statutory conditions waived, even where the applicant comes within the certain circumstances defined.
I understand the extended wait times can be frustrating for applicants and my Department has been working hard to clear backlogs.
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.
My Department is taking a number of steps to speed up the processing of applications and a number of digitisation measures have been introduced to increase efficiency in the process, including eVetting and online payments.
In October, my Department moved from paper based applications to online forms for all new adult applications going forward. Online applications will make the process easier for customers, allowing them to easily fill in the relevant forms, upload the required documents, make payments and submit. The forms will provide a seamless application process and will help guide applicants through what is required for an application.
The end result of the digitisation process will be the freeing up of more staff to focus on processing applications in a timely and efficient manner, improving service to our customers and reduction of waiting times.
Finally, I can advise the Deputy that the Citizenship Division of my Department intends to communicate regularly with all applicants on a quarterly basis into the future, to keep them updated on the status of their application.
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.
