Residency Permits

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 June 2012

Wednesday, 6 June 2012

Ceisteanna (654)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Ceist:

658 Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the current average processing time for applications for long-term residency; if certain categories of case are expedited; if so, the type and the average processing time for these and the options open to a person with Stamp 4 status whose application is currently being processed and who wishes to travel to Britain for a wedding with their spouse and two children, including one Irish-born; if there is any facility for them to avoid having to pay for re-entry visas in view of the fact that these add significant expense to the cost of a short trip. [26516/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice and Equality (Deputy Alan Shatter)

I think it is important to point out that even if a person was granted long term residence in advance of his trip, he would still be required to obtain a re-entry visa and to pay the necessary fees for that visa on top of the €500 he would be required to pay for long-term residence.

An application for long term residency generally takes about six months to process. For instance, if a person submitted a valid application in May 2012, that application should be finalised by the end of November 2012. However, for a variety of reasons, some applications may take longer. Applications for long-term residency would not be expedited for the sole reason of circumventing other elements of the immigration process.

Without any personal information or reference numbers, I cannot give the Deputy an indication of when the application of the person concerned will be finalised. However, the Deputy can, if he so wishes, ascertain this information by using the Oireachtas Mail facility. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process.