Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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178. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if applications for visas can be treated with urgency in the case of a family (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56282/21]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I can inform the Deputy that the applicants referred to created on-line Join Family (Non EEA national) visa applications on 29 March 2021. The supporting documentation and fee were submitted to the Visa Office on 10 May 2021. These applications are currently awaiting comprehensive examination.

In accordance with the provisions under Point 21.1 of my Department's Policy Document on Non-EEA Family Reunification, processing of family reunification visa applications, such as these, may take up to 6 months to determine from the date documentation is received in the relevant Visa Office.

The Visa Office endeavours to have applications of this nature processed earlier than this, however, this is not always possible. In order to be fair to all applicants, as you will appreciate, applications are processed in order by date received in the Office.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility (inisoireachtasmail@justice.ie), 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 is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.