Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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110. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason the processing of de facto visas may take up to six months whereas applications for other visas, such as employment visas, can often be processed within three weeks, with appeals for de facto visas taking approximately six months to process; the reason applications for de facto visa cannot be started from abroad before coming here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2846/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the processing of De Facto Partner Permission applications may take up to six months due to the increase in volume of applications over the past year. Each case must be examined on its merits. I can inform the Deputy that appeals for De Facto Partner Permission applications are generally at present dealt with within three months of receipt.

The De Facto Partner scheme is an administrative scheme whereby an applicant must be resident in the State under another permission before applying for permission to remain on the basis of a De Facto relationship which is akin to marriage. Applications are not accepted from persons who are not legally resident in the State at the time of application.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to INIS by email 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 email service except in cases where the response from INIS is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.