Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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57. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the position in respect of residency status in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24849/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the person concerned entered the State on 25 September 2010. They were registered as a student on Stamp 2A conditions between 4 April 2013 and 21 October 2013.

It should be noted that the person concerned should have sought an extension of their permission to remain in the State as a student upon the expiry of their permission on 21 October 2013. However, it is apparent that they chose not to do so at that time. The person concerned has not had permission to remain in the State since that time and should be aware that it is illegal under the Immigration Act 2004 to reside in the State without permission from the Minister for Justice and Equality. A person found to be guilty of such an offence is liable, under Section 13 of the Immigration Act of 2004, to a fine not exceeding €3,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both. As the person concerned does not have immigration permission to remain in the State, they are not entitled to work in the State.

INIS received an application from the person concerned on 5 January 2016 and this application is under consideration at present. I understand that correspondence will issue to the person concerned in the near future.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases 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 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.