Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 May 2015
486. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she is aware of the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 7 who has applied for naturalisation, but who is at risk of losing her job because she has no proof she can stay in the country; and if she can fast-track that person's application. [20105/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraSection 15 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, as amended, provides that the Minister may, in her absolute discretion, grant a certificate of naturalisation, provided certain statutory conditions are fulfilled. One such condition is that the applicant must have had a period of one year's continuous residency in the State immediately before the date of application and, during the eight years immediately preceding that period, have had a total residence in the State amounting to four years. Certain periods of residence are excluded. These include, inter alia, periods in respect of which an applicant does not have permission to remain in the State and periods granted for the purposes of study.
An application for a certificate of naturalisation was received in the Citizenship Division of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) in January 2014 from the person referred to by the Deputy. On examination of the application it was determined that the person in question did not meet the statutory residency requirements as set out in the Act and referred to above. The person concerned was informed of this by letter on 2 April, 2014 along with a calculation of her periods of reckonable residence.
It is open to any individual to lodge an application for citizenship if and when they are in a position to meet the statutory requirements as prescribed in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 as amended. The on-line Naturalisation Residency Calculator available on the INIS web-site at www.inis.gov.ie can be used as a guide in establishing whether the naturalisation residency conditions are met.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases 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.
