Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests. I thank the Senator for making his case. I am here on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, who unfortunately has another commitment and cannot be here. At the outset, I want to assure the Senator that the Minister and her Department are acutely aware of the grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza and are working with colleagues in the Department of Foreign Affairs to ensure a co-ordinated national response to this volatile and evolving situation. This includes their work to evacuate Irish citizens and their families who may require visa assistance. The Minister and her Department officials understand that this is also a difficult situation for our Palestinian community and their loved ones. They would like to assure the Senator that all current immigration avenues remain open for new applications to the Department, including visa and family reunification applications, which will be processed speedily.

In relation to the Department’s general approach to visa applications to reunite relatives of Irish families, there are several different routes available. The International Protection Act 2015 provides that a person who has a current declaration as a UN Convention refugee or who is a current beneficiary of subsidiary protection may make an application for family reunification. Under the 2015 Act, a person may apply for their immediate family members, spouse, partner and children under 18 to enter and reside in the State or to remain and reside in the State where they are already resident on the date of the application.

Other avenues also exist for the admission of more extended family members under the provisions of the Department’s policy document on non-EEA family reunification, which can be found on the Department’s website, irishimmigration.ie. This allows beneficiaries of international protection who fall outside of the terms of the 2015 Act and other non-EEA immigrants residing lawfully in Ireland to make an application to have their family members join them here. A review of the non-EEA family reunification policy is under way. The review, which is at an advanced stage, is examining a wide range of matters relating to family reunification. The policy document was last reviewed in 2016 and sets out the criteria and specific requirements for any person considering making an application to be joined by family members in the State through normal established legal pathways. The review will be informed by considerations of the relevant Government Departments.

I spoke to a Department official about the specific case that Senator Clonan has raised and the family he has mentioned. I understand the Department is fully apprised of it, they are working on it, there is no delay with it and they understand the urgency. It is right that Senator Clonan was able to make his case today very clearly for them. There are also similar incidents in Gaza at the moment. There are hostages and there are people who are eligible for Irish citizenship but do not have it at the moment. We cannot be expected to go through the normal timelines that it takes for a foreign birth registration, etc., in such a critical moment. The Department is working to provide documentation for those people. They are working on their diplomatic efforts with the various Governments involved to extract Irish citizens safely from these war zones. I want to tell the Senator that on the specific case he mentioned and detailed so passionately and clearly, the Department assures me that it is working at full speed, with all its efforts, and it understands the context.