Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 July 2020
632. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the status of an application for naturalisation by a person (details supplied); and if she will request her officials to treat this application as a priority. [14259/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to continues to be processed with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation and a decision will be made 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. 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. The applicant may contact the Citizenship Division by email at citizenshipinfo@justice.ie for updates on their application.
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 Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
