Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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139. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if her Department will intervene in cases such as that of a person (details supplied) in view of the launch of the international education strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30413/16]

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 visa application referred to was granted on 11 October, 2016. The Deputy may wish to note that the visa application was first made on 26 July 2016, and initially refused on 24 August 2016. An appeal against the initial refusal was not received until 4 October, 2016, and a decision to approve the application was made within five working days on 11 October, 2016. There was no undue delay on the part of the Visa Office in processing this visa application. Indeed, had the applicant lodged their appeal earlier than they did, the application would have been finalised sooner. On a general note INIS encourages students to make their applications for visas as early as possible to allow for sufficient time for them to be processed.

The Deputy may wish to note that 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 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. In addition, applicants may themselves e-mail queries directly to the INIS Visa Office (visamail@justice.ie).