Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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513. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if her attention has been drawn to the waiting time for an application for permission to remain on the basis of marriage to an Irish national and consequently for a stamp 4 enabling persons to work now being 12 months; her views on whether this is an acceptable waiting period given the severe financial stress that this is placing on couples at a time of huge increases in the cost-of-living; if she will increase resources and staffing to reduce waiting times; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35686/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Any non-EEA national, including the spouse of an Irish national, who intends to enter and reside in the State long term may apply for a pre-clearance permission prior to their arrival. This allows them to be granted a stamp 4 once they enter the State and to register that permission at their local immigration office.

Where the spouse of an Irish national arrives in the State without having applied for a pre-clearance permission they are required to make an application to remain in the State. When applying for a Spouse of Irish National (SOIN) application, the acknowledgement letter issued to customers confirms that applications can take up to 12 months to finalise.

In order to be fair to all applicants, applications are dealt with in chronological order. My Department endeavours to process applications as quickly as possible. However, processing times may vary due to a number of factors, such as the number of applications on hands, individual circumstances, the complexity of applications, whether further information is required, and the resources available.

More information on SOIN applications is available on my Department's immigration website at:

www.irishimmigration.ie/my-situation-has-changed-since-i-arrived-in-ireland/spouse-civil-partner-of-irish-national-scheme/.