Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 762: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if a visa will be granted to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10913/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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The visa application in question was refused by my Department at initial stage on the 22 February 2005 on two separate grounds.

First, the visa officer was not satisfied, on the basis of the documentation supplied in support of the application, that sufficient finances were available to guarantee the support of the applicant whilst in the State, without requiring recourse to public funds.

The visa officer also noted that, on the basis of the documentation supplied, it appeared that the applicant had only met her husband on two occasions, once in July 2004 and again in December 2004, prior to their wedding in January 2005. Based on the supporting evidence available, the visa officer was unable to establish any prior existing relationship.

An appeal was received in respect of this application on the 6 April 2005. To guarantee the provision of a fair and consistent service to all our customers, appeals are dealt with strictly in date-received order and take, on average, three to four weeks to process, consequently a decision in this case should not be expected for some time yet.