Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 158: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the situation regarding a visa application for the spouse of an Irish citizen (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36703/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The "join spouse" visa application referred to by the Deputy was received in the Visa Office, Dublin on the 16 November 2011 and is awaiting processing. Applicants are advised to make their application at least eight weeks in advance of the proposed date of travel. It should however be borne in mind that the timeframe of eight weeks acts as a guideline only. The actual timeframe for decision is ultimately dependent on a number of factors including inter alia the number of applications on hand, the resources available to process them, the nature of the visa applied for and the degree of complication involved.

I can advise that each visa application is considered on its individual merits, the onus as always resting with the applicant to establish to the satisfaction of the Visa Officer as to why the visa sought should be granted. The applicant will be notified of the decision as soon as it is made.

Queries in relation to general immigration matters may be made directly to INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from INIS is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 159: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding an application for a tourist visa in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36913/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The "visit" visa application referred to by the Deputy was received in the Visa Office, Beijing on the 7 November 2011. It was refused by the Visa Officer on the 18 November 2011 for a number of reasons. As is the case with all refused visa applications, the refusal decision and the reasons for that decision were sent by way of letter to the applicant. It is open to the person concerned to submit an appeal within two months of the date of refusal, in this case before the 18 January 2012. If doing so, the applicant would be advised to be in a position to address the concerns raised. Guidelines on the visa appeals process is available on the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (www.inis.gov.ie).

The Deputy may wish to note that in assessing any Visa application, the Visa Officer will consider various matters, including whether it is reasonable in the circumstances to conclude that the applicant would honour the conditions of the Visa and whether there is a significant risk that the applicant would overstay the period applied for. The Visa Officer will also have regard to all of the information available to them and to such factors as the applicant's ties and general circumstances in their country of origin or where they are ordinarily and legally resident. The onus rests at all times with the applicant to satisfy the Visa Officer that the visa sought should be granted.

Queries in relation to general immigration matters may be made directly to INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from INIS is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.