Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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586. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the reason a person (details supplied) who was awarded a scholarship to study for a PhD at Dublin City University has had their visa application rejected; if she will review the manner in which visas are assessed for academic purposes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6531/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The visa application for the person referred to by the Deputy was refused by the Visa Office in Abu Dhabi on 12 October 2021. The reasons for this decision were set out in the refusal letter issued at that time. An appeal of this decision was made on 22 November 2021. Following detailed examination of the appeal application, a decision was made to uphold the refusal of this visa on 12 December 2021.

Visa required individuals who wish to study a third level or English language programme in Ireland for a period longer than three months, must apply for a Type D Long Stay visa. All visa applicants are advised that they must provide as much information as possible in support of their application as this will improve their prospect of receiving a positive decision. Further details on the application process are available on my Department’s immigration website at:

www.irishime decision. Further details on the application process are available on my Department’s immigration website at:

www.migration.ie/coming-to-study-in-ireland/what-are-my-study-options/.

In some cases where the applicant is offered a stipend and fees paid by the educational institution, it may be possible for the host organisation to apply for a hosting agreement. The applicant would then apply for an employment visa rather than a normal student visa. There is a separate process for hosting agreements and further details can be found at:

www.euraxess.ie/ireland/fast-track-work-permit-non-eu-rd-hosting-agreement-scheme.

I can assure the Deputy that each visa application is examined fairly and in detail on its individual merits. All applications for a visa, including those from applicants who wish to come to Ireland to study, are subject to a range of requirements. These requirements apply to all applicants, regardless of their location or nationality. While the Department appreciates that applicants from some countries may experience additional difficulties in sourcing official documents, it must be stressed that all applications are treated equally.

A visa refusal does not exclude a person from submitting a new visa application. When making a new application, the person should address any concerns raised in their previous refusal letters.

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.