Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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590. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to parliamentary question No. 40 of 5 July 2022 and No. 389 of 27 September 2022, the total number of persons who have arrived in Ireland further to the Afghan admissions programme which opened in December 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49750/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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In response to the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the Department of Justice remains focused on processing applications for family reunification made under all admission avenues, including the Afghan Admissions Programme for family members of Afghan nationals living in Ireland.

I understand that this is a difficult situation for our Afghan community and their loved ones. I would like to take this opportunity to assure them that we are processing applications as quickly as possible. Where applicants are missing important information, such as proof of identity and familial relationships, my Department is contacting applicants directly to try to gather the required documents. This will help to ensure as many people as possible can avail of this important programme.

I would also like to assure the Afghan community that the applications continue to be assessed in a pragmatic and humanitarian manner with a view to issuing decisions soon.

While no application has yet been approved under this Programme, since the beginning of August 2021 to 26 September 2022, a total of 140 join family visas have been approved for Afghan nationals and 77 family reunification applications have been approved.

A significant number of Afghan people have also been allocated places under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP), which is under the remit of the Department of Children, Equality. Disability, Integration and Youth. My Department provides the visas to facilitate their travel to Ireland and almost 600 visa waiver letters have been issued to date.