Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 February 2004
274 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position regarding visa applications (details supplied); when the refusal was issued and the dates on which the parties were notified; if the new applications, when submitted, will be expedited in view of the commercial nature of the visit and the benefit to a Kilkenny-based industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5164/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhen assessing any visa application, the visa officer will consider various matters. Those include whether it is reasonable in all the circumstances to conclude that: the applicant's stated purpose of visit is his or her true purpose of visit; the applicant is in a position to support him- or herself fully while in the State; the applicant will fully honour the conditions of the visa — for example, is unlikely to overstay the length of time applied for or work without a work permit; the applicant is unlikely to breach the common travel area by travelling from the State to Great Britain or Northern Ireland without an appropriate entry visa.
The visa officer will have regard to the information provided in the application and to such factors as the applicant's ties and general circumstances in his or her country of origin, his or her immigration history, as well as the relative attractiveness and feasibility of his or her remaining in the State. Credibility is central to the visa determination process. The Department's approach in those matters is informed by past experience, including experience of abuse of the system; not surprisingly, inconsistencies on the face of the application can cause the visa officer to conclude that the above-mentioned matters have not been satisfied.
The persons in question made visa applications in October 2003 to enable them to come to the State for business purposes. The visa officer, in deciding on the applications, considered that there was insufficient evidence, on the basis of the documentation supplied, to show that the stated purpose of the visit was the true purpose. Inconsistencies were also noted in the information supplied. In the circumstances, the visa officer formed the opinion that it would not be reasonable to conclude that the applicants would observe the conditions attached to the visa.
Reasons for the refusal of the applications were issued on 16 December 2003 on request from the reference in Ireland. Representations were received from the Deputy appealing against the refusal of the visas. It was noted that the applicants' reference in Ireland stated that he wished to finalise a €500,000 business contract with the applicants' company. However, the applicants' business bank account statement which accompanied the visa applications showed a balance of approximately €1,500. Taking that and other inconsistencies into account, both applications were refused on appeal.
It is, of course, open to the applicants to make fresh applications with up-to-date supporting documentation, and the matter will be considered anew. In that regard, any new applications should address the concerns mentioned above.
