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Immigration Status

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 February 2018

Thursday, 8 February 2018

Ceisteanna (167)

Bernard Durkan

Ceist:

167. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding the determination of eligibility for naturalisation and or stamp 4 update in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6607/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The position remains as outlined in response to the Deputy's Parliamentary Question No. 139 of 18 January 2018. The records indicate that the person in question currently has permission to reside in the State until 12 September 2020. An application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person is currently being processed and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible.

As the Deputy will appreciate, the granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.

It is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. While most cases are now generally processed within six months, the nature of the naturalisation process is such that, for a broad range of reasons, some cases will take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department 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 the INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.

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