Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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535. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the best route to progress an application for long-term residency status in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15827/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I was pleased to open the landmark Regularisation of Long Term Undocumented Migrants Scheme for applications on 31 January 2022 and applications will be accepted for six months until 31 July 2022, when the scheme will close.

This once-in-a-generation scheme is designed to give long-term undocumented people without a current permission to remain in the State, the chance to regularise their status, access the labour market and begin their path to citizenship.

The criteria for the scheme, including the period of four years undocumented residence at the date of the opening of the scheme for primary applicants, have been designed in line with the Programme for Government commitment, and are not open to change. Therefore, any person who does not meet the specified undocumented residency criteria for the scheme will not be eligible to make an application.

Based on the information supplied by the Deputy, the total residency of the person concerned is not clear. However, the Scheme does provides that for a family application with at least one dependent minor child (under 18), the spouse/civil partner /de facto partner of the principal applicant must be a non-EEA national over the age of 18 on the date that the Scheme opened (31 January 2022), and must have been living undocumented in the State continuously for the last two years with the principal applicant as a family unit and have continued to reside in the State undocumented as a family unit on the date they submit the family application.

Based on this, it may be open to the person concerned to be included in a family application submitted for consideration

A comprehensive FAQ document and further information on the requirements of the Scheme can be found on my Department's website at: www.irishimmigration.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/FAQs-for-Regularisation-of-Long-Term-Undocumented-Migrants-Scheme-Feb-22.pdf.