Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 October 2014
261. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the degree to which provision may be made to allow a person (details supplied) enter the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37657/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the visa application referred to by the Deputy was received in the Dublin visa office on 16 September 2014. The application is currently being examined and a decision will be issued shortly.
It is open to a visa-required national to make a visa application for any purpose including for the purpose of entering into a marriage in Ireland; the onus resting with the applicant to satisfy the visa officer as to why the visa should be granted. All information that the applicant wishes to have taken into consideration should be included with their application. Where the stated purpose of the application is to marry in Ireland it is advisable to provide evidence of that intention in the form of an acknowledgement from the Registrar confirming the date of receipt of notification of the intention to marry. The appropriate type of visa is a short stay visa under which the maximum stay allowed is 90 days.
As with all applications for short stay visas, the applicant must show that they have sufficiently strong family, social or economic ties to a place of residence in a country other than Ireland to assure the visa officer assessing the application that the projected stay in Ireland will be temporary and in accordance with the duration and conditions of the permission granted by the immigration authorities on arrival in Ireland.
Guidelines on the visa application process can be found on the INIS website (www.inis.gov.ie). It should be borne in mind, however, that the information contained on the website is intended to act as guidance only; it does not limit the discretion of the visa officer in dealing with individual applications.
Queries in relation to general immigration matters may be made directly to INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility 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 Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from INIS is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
