Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 November 2023
414. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Justice about the case of a person (details supplied) who applied in June 2023 for an extension of their visa that was due to expire and has not received any response back regarding the status of their extension application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52135/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe application for an Extension of Student Conditions (ESTC) permission from the person referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed by my Department.
To be fair to all applicants, applications are dealt with in chronological order by date received. My Department endeavours to process applications as quickly as possible. However, processing times may vary due to a number of factors, such as the number of applications on hands, individual circumstances, the complexity of applications, whether further information is required, and the resources available.
There has been a significant increase in recent months for people seeking Extension of Student Conditions (ESTC). These are being dealt with as expeditiously as possible but it is only in exceptional circumstances that such an application will be considered.
In meantime the person concerned should continue to seek for meaningful graduate level employment which would allow them to change their immigration status and remain in the State.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by email using the Oireachtas mail facility (inisoireachtasmail@justice.ie), 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 email service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
