Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 January 2024
1089. 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); when it is expected that application will be finalised, given that their application will be pending for three years in February 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1300/24]
View answerThe naturalisation application from the person referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed by my Department. At present "Irish association" cases are taking in excess of 30 months to process.
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.
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.
My Department has recently moved from paper to online based citizenship applications. This is one of a number of measures introduced in an effort to optimise the application process and enhance the overall customer service experience. As part of the new online process customers are issued with an acknowledgment on submission of the online application. The forms provide a seamless application process and help guide applicants through what is required for an application.
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.
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.
