Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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506. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason a person (details supplied) was refused a visa to visit family here; the next step available for them to take; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48876/13]

Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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507. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason a person (details supplied) was refused a visa to visit family here; the next step available for them to take; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48877/13]

Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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508. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason a person (details supplied) was refused a visa to visit family here; the next step available for them to take; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48878/13]

Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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509. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason a person (details supplied) was refused a visa to visit family here; the next step available for them to take; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48879/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 506 to 509, inclusive, together.

The visa applications referred to by the Deputy were received in the Visa Office, Abu Dhabi on 22 September 2013. Following full consideration, the Visa Officer decided to refuse the visas on 6 October 2013 and letters providing the reasons for this were issued to the applicants. The Visa Officer did not consider that the family concerned provided sufficient evidence of their obligations to return following a visit to Ireland and had concerns that they would not observe the conditions of the visas were they to be approved. In addition, insufficient documentary evidence was submitted to indicate adequate levels of available finances or income in respect of either the family concerned or the reference in Ireland. This increases the likelihood that the granting of the visas in this case could result in a cost to state funds/resources. Furthermore there was insufficient documentary evidence of the link to the reference in Ireland.

It is a fundamental consideration in any visa application that the deciding visa officer is satisfied that the conditions of the visa will be abided by including that the applicant will return home at the expiry of the permission to remain in the State. At the core of this consideration is an assessment of the applicant's obligations to return to their home country. It is open to the family concerned to appeal the decisions of these applications within two months of the date of refusal, should they so wish. Where doing so, they should be in a position to address the reasons for the refusal.Guidelines regarding the visa application procedure are available on the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service - .

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.