Vol. 572 No. 1
173 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the legal status of a person who has applied for citizenship as a result of marriage to an Irish citizen but whose entry visa expires in October 2003, and if the person is entitled to remain here until a decision is made in view of the fact that it takes ten months to process an application. [22476/03]
The person in question applied for asylum on 7 December 1999. His application was refused on 1 August 2001 and he appealed that decision. The appeal was refused on 18 January 2002. He left the State voluntarily thereafter.
There is no record of him having applied for Irish citizenship and, in any event, it would appear that he is not eligible for Irish citizenship at this time. He married an Irish citizen in his country of origin. At present he has permission to reside in the State until 29 October 2003. I hope to be in a position to determine his application for longer-term permission prior to that date.
