Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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138. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if the spouse of a person (details supplied) can have their stamp 3 upgraded to stamp 4 in view of their spouse's status of stamp 4; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2701/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the spouse of the person in question should submit their request in writing to Unit 2, Residence Division, INIS.

When writing to Unit 2, they should include a brief outline of their history in the State and, as applicable, details of any children or other dependents.

In order to ensure the efficient processing of this request the persons concerned should include, at a minimum, full copies of all passports, marriage certificate and birth certificates as applicable. Their request will be assessed upon receipt of this information.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department 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 the INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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139. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the expected residency status in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2702/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that  the records indicate that the person in question currently has permission to reside in the State until 12 September 2020.  An application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person is currently being processed and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible.

As the Deputy will appreciate, the granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.

It is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. While most cases are now generally processed within six months, the nature of the naturalisation process is such that, for a broad range of reasons, some cases will take longer than others to process.  In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time. 

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department 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 the INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.