Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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109. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if a person (details supplied) will be permitted to bring their Filipino national child here following the death of their father; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26074/17]

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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110. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the status of a case (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25329/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 109 and 110 together.

I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that a 'join family' visa application from the person referred to was created on-line on 2 October 2016. This is the first step of the visa application process.

The applicant must then print off the two page summary sheet, sign and date it, and along with all the required supporting documentation, submit the application to the appropriate office. Full contact details for the appropriate office are on the summary sheet. However, this documentation has not yet been received by the Honorary Consul in Manila and therefore the application cannot be processed.

The INIS website ()contains comprehensive guidelines to assist the applicant with the application process. The information contained on the website is for guidance purposes only and does not limit the discretion of the Visa Officer in dealing with individual applications.

Such applications, where the sponsor is an Irish national, can normally be expected to be dealt with within 6 months of receipt of all the required documentation as set out in the Policy Document on Non-EEA Family Reunification. This is a business target which reflects the detailed assessment that is required to be carried out in relation to applications for family reunification. It does not constitute a legal obligation and such applications may take longer due to the individual circumstances of the application or to the number of applications within the visa category and the resources available to process them.

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).