Jim Higgins
Ceist:598 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason for the delay in finalising the naturalisation application of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo. [21369/98]
Written Answers. - Naturalisation Applications.
An application for a certificate of naturalisation was originally received from the person referred to at the end of March this year. However, the statutory application form had not been completed fully nor was all of the necessary documentation enclosed. Accordingly, the application was returned. The fully completed application form was received in my Department at the beginning of June.
It might be of benefit if I outlined the procedures involved in processing an application for naturalisation. Soon after a completed application is received, the documents submitted with each application (passport, birth certificate etc.) are examined, verified, and where all is in order, the original documents are returned to the applicant. A report is then sought from the Garda in relation to the applicant's financial circumstances, his/her character and any other information that is deemed appropriate in support, or otherwise, of the application. The Garda usually conduct an interview with the applicant to obtain this information. Other inquiries related to work permits, tax affairs etc. may also be necessary. Finally, when all this information is received, the application is submitted to me for a decision. Because of all the elements involved together with the level of applications being received, this process usually takes in excess of 12 months to complete.
The application of the person referred to is in the early stages of this process and it is likely to be well into next year before it is finalised.