Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 282: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality when a decision on a visa application will issue in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14400/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The visa application referred to by the Deputy was received in the Visa Office, Dublin, on 15 December 2010. Following consideration by a visa officer, it was refused on the 21 January 2011 for the following reasons: 1. The evidence of finances provided was deemed insufficient; specifically, the documentation provided was of poor quality, lump-sum lodgments were evident and the finances were deemed to be insufficient; 2. Insufficient documentation was submitted in support of the application; specifically, a copy of the applicant's cousin's Garda registration card or passport was not provided; 3. It was the opinion of the visa officer that the applicant did not have sufficient obligations to return to the country of origin and may not observe the conditions of a visa where one was granted; 4. No clear link was established between the applicant and the contact or host in Ireland.

The applicant appealed the refusal to grant a visa. The decision of the visa officer was upheld by an Appeals Officer on 3 March 2011. Each visa application is entitled to one appeal only. It is, however, open to the applicant to submit a fresh visa application at any time. Information on the visa application process is available on the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (www.inis.gov.ie).

I should remind the Deputy that queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made direct to INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. The service enables up-to-date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek this information through the more administratively expensive Parliamentary Questions process.