Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 October 2019
131. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the status of a naturalisation application by a person (details supplied); when the application will be finalised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42507/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Immigration Service of my Department that the application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy was received on 2 April 2019. This application continues to be processed with a view to the establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible. If further documentation is required it will be requested from the applicant in due course.
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. However, 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.
Should the person have concerns about other matters relating to their immigration permission they should contact the Immigration Office which issued their current permission in order to address the matter.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the Immigration Service 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 Immigration Service is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
