Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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91. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will set aside refusal of family reunification in respect of the spouse and children of a person (details supplied); if she will urgently examine the case on humanitarian grounds with a view to approval; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40768/16]

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 an application was received by the Visa Office in Abuja, Nigeria, from the family members referred to in August, 2015. The applications were refused in September, 2015 and the original decisions were upheld on appeal. Appeal refusal letters issued to the applicants on 18 January, 2016. As per INIS guidelines, only one appeal may be made in respect of an application.

I am further advised that all grounds on which the applications were based were considered in the original decisions and subsequent appeals. It is of course open to the applicants to make fresh visa applications at any time. It would be advisable however that any fresh applications should address the original refusal issues and provide any other information that the applicants consider relevant to their application.

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 INIS (visamail@justice.ie).