John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 665: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will introduce temporary work visas to allow the spouses of persons applying for post-nuptial citizenship to work pending the outcome of their application and in view of the financial hardship caused to couples that must wait 16 months to have their applications processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20052/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I presume the Deputy is referring to applications for residency in the State based on marriage to an Irish national which currently take approximately 16 months to process. Marriage to an Irish national does not grant any automatic right to enter or reside in the State solely on that basis and applications of this type are dealt with in chronological order, in fairness to all other applicants. The resources allocated to process such applications are dependent on the prioritised work requirements of the immigration division of my Department at any one time, which is operating against a background of significant increases on demands for its services over a wide range of areas, including the type of applications referred to.

The immigration division of my Department has growing experience of marriages being entered into for the sole purpose of enabling the non-national in question gain entry to the State. Frequently in these circumstances the Irish national may be totally unaware that this is the intention of the non-national and will feel aggrieved by the perception that the immigration authorities are interfering with their private life in refusing to allow their spouse to enter or remain in the State. On occasion the Irish national may be a willing party for their own personal benefit. Convenience marriages for the purpose of circumventing normal immigration controls are experienced by immigration jurisdictions worldwide and, in this regard, holiday and Internet romances would feature frequently.

To prevent abuses of the system in so far as is possible and without unduly interfering with the Irish citizen's private circumstances, the immigration division will seek to establish various matters. These include the context in which the marriage took place, the validity of the marriage and whether the couple are residing in a family unit. This may involve requesting supporting documentation as evidence of the relationship or an interview by the immigration authorities of either or both parties.

It has always been the case that the non-national concerned could not enter employment pending the outcome of the application for residency, unless he or she had a valid work permit. We are, however, examining the possibility of introducing, within the confines of the limited resources available, an expedited service for the more straightforward applications.