Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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197. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 100 of 22 February 2018, if he will use his discretion to extend a visa in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11103/18]

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 person concerned entered the State on 4 March 2016 following their application under the Working Holiday and Internship Programme - Ireland's Working Holiday Agreement (WHA) with Canada.

In line with the terms and conditions of this Agreement the person concerned was granted, on arrival in the State, the maximum 24 months permission permissible to remain in the State.  Accordingly their current permission expired as of 4 March 2018.

Concerning the question's reference to an extension I would draw the Deputy's attention to the specific wording in this bilateral Agreement, as published on www.dfa.ie, which states that "...permission to those entering Ireland on the Working Holiday Authorisation shall be valid for a maximum of twenty four (24) months from the date of entry into Ireland [and that] extensions to the period of validity of such permission shall not be granted. Participants must leave Ireland on the expiration of their permission which cannot be extended, either under the authorisation itself, or through attempting to convert it to a different form of immigration status."

In view of the terms of this Agreement, I regret to convey that I am not in a position to grant any further permission beyond this date.

There is of course nothing to prevent the person concerned from re-entering the State at a future date.  However, entry to the State remains at the discretion of the Immigration Officer at the point of entry.

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