Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I said that people had retired from the nursing profession. I did not say they had retired fully, to clarify the point.

I take on board the Minister of State is reading out a response that came from the Department of Justice, but I will share with her the experience of quite a significant nursing home provider. Despite its attempts to seek clarification from the atypical office, it has received no feedback at any point and is left to decipher the confusing automated responses it received. Consequently, its nurse candidates have had to cancel their scheduled Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, RCSI, exam dates and the provider is forced to resubmit their visa applications in the hope they will be approved. At present, the provider has submitted applications as far back as 15 March 2023, none of which has been approved. Following the submissions of the visas, additional information was requested 36 days later, despite the Department statement that it takes 20 days to process applications. The provider promptly resubmitted the requested information and has now been waiting an additional 40 days for an update since its return to the Department.

Clearly, what the Department is saying is not the experience the people on the ground are feeling. I need the Minister of State to bring back to the Minister for Justice that we need to see a rapid improvement in the processing times for these visas. Our nursing homes and hospitals depend on our ability to get these people, who are choosing to come to work and contribute to Ireland, and on them being dealt with in a fair, efficient and punctual manner. That is not happening currently.

I know the Minister of State cannot answer the question today, but I would like to know what additional resources are being made available to the visa processing unit, considering what is happening with the atypical visa and the example I gave from my constituent. Perhaps she will bring back to the Minister whether the demands on the visa processing unit led to the discontinuation of the immigrant investment programme.

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