Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
86. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Justice if he is aware of long delays at the Immigration Service Delivery, ISD, formerly the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service, in response to citizenship applications; that this issue is one of great importance to thousands of individuals and their families and creates real consequential limitations on their lives in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17607/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, and all applications are processed in line with the eligibility criteria as set out under the Act. Each application is assessed individually in accordance with the provisions of the Act. A determination on whether an applicant satisfies the statutory criteria attendant to naturalisation can only be made after an application is received.
The current backlog is a legacy of the pandemic, where processing times were significantly impacted due to the paper based nature of the current applications and the ability of staff to attend the office, as well as the increasing volumes of new applications being received.
The median processing time for applications now currently stands at 19 months. I understand the extended wait times can be frustrating for applicants and my Department has been working hard to clear backlogs.
In 2022 there were 13,613 Certificates of Naturalisation issued, including 1,719 in respect of minor applicants. This represents a 39% increase on the number of certificates issued for 2021 (9,780) and demonstrates the Departments commitment to processing applications in a timely manner.
Officials in my Department continue to process applications on hand as quickly as possible, 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.
Processing timescales can be impacted due to incomplete applications having to be returned, further documentation being required from the applicant, or where payment of the required certificate fee is awaited, or the applicant has not been engaging with Citizenship Division of my Department.
To help improve the service, significant reforms have been introduced for customers to streamline the number of proofs required to establish their identity and residency as part of the application process. A new scorecard was introduced to help applicants to complete their applications. Since this initiative went live, a preliminary review of applications received indicates that the quality of the applications has markedly improved.
This builds on other innovative measures introduced in the application process, including the deployment of “Tara” the e-chat bot, as well as e-payments, e-tax clearance and Garda e-vetting, and the removal of the requirement to provide the original passport when making an application, all of which have positively enhanced the applicant's experience.
