Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 137: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if a tourist visa will be granted to a person (details supplied). [17761/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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The visa application referred to by the Deputy was for the stated purposes of enabling a non-EEA national travel to the State for a short-term visit to an Irish national.

When assessing a visa application of this sort, the visa officer will expect to see sufficient evidence of a prior existing relationship between the applicant and their reference in Ireland, including evidence that they have met on more than one previous occasion. In this case the application, together with its supporting documentation, specifically stated that the applicant had only met the reference on one occasion, when the reference was a patient in the hospital where the applicant worked as a translator.

Second, the visa officer was not satisfied, based on the documentation supplied, that the applicant would observe the conditions of the visa were it to issue. The application was purportedly for a short-term tourist visa, however, the applicant specifically states their intention to seek to extend the duration of their stay upon arrival and to seek opportunities to enter into a course of study without the appropriate visa. As an Irish visa is generally issued for a specific purpose and specific duration, both of these stated intentions detracted from the overall credibility of the application.

Finally, the visa officer was unable to conclude from the information supplied that the applicant had sufficient obligations to return to their country of origin following the proposed visit.