Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 May 2020
331. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when an application for naturalisation in the case of a person (details supplied) will be progressed in view of the fact the information requested has been supplied previously or in the case of that national passport is not available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3935/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can inform the Deputy that an application for a certificate of naturalisation was received from the person referred to on 30 September 2019.
This application is currently being processed with a view to 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.
Documentation requested by officials in my Department must be submitted. This would include an original in date passport. The onus rests with the person and their home country’s authorities to sort out the procurement of their own national passport. The conditions under which a national passport is issued or renewed is essentially a matter for the person to address with their own national authorities.
In rare circumstances where an applicant cannot produce their current passport, the applicant will be required to provide a full explanation. Such explanation should, where possible, be supported by satisfactory evidence that they have attempted to obtain such documentation and correspondence from the relevant authorities or embassy responsible for the issuing of passports in their country, clearly stating the reasons the documentation cannot be provided. The Immigration Service Delivery will consider the explanation given and, if satisfied it is for reasons genuinely beyond the applicant's control, may suggest alternative means to the person to assist in establishing their identity and nationality.
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.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to 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 Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
