John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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58. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if consideration will be given to enabling Irish citizens and organisations to co-sponsor a family reunification application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15565/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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One of the principles underpinning family reunification decisions is that there must be a clear connection between the person seeking residence in Ireland and some other person living in the State permanently. In such circumstances it is only open to natural persons to act as a sponsor. All of the circumstances in which such a person can seek to sponsor a family member to join them in the State are set out in the Policy Document on Non-EEA Family Reunification published on the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (). This policy was recently updated and republished, in December 2016, and I have no further plans to update the policy at this time.