Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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523. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the progress made to date in determination of an application for family reunification in the case of persons (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25314/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Based on the information supplied by the Deputy, I am informed by officials in my Department that there is no record of a current visa application for the purposes of family reunification in relation to the persons referred to. When completing an on-line visa application the applicant is assigned a unique visa transaction number. This detail must be provided where a query on the status or other enquiry regarding a visa application arises. The provision of this unique visa transaction number ensures that accurate and current information is provided to the authorised enquirer. Perhaps if the Deputy could provide the relevant detail to Officials in the Visa Office then an update could be provided.

Comprehensive information on the visa application process is available on the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (www.inis.gov.ie). Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the 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 the INIS is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.