Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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483. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will outline whether she agrees that the requirement for a visa for Colombians to travel to Ireland should be lifted, considering that Ireland is the only EU country which continues to have this requirement and Britain has recently dropped the visa requirement. [62153/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I am aware that the UK have very recently lifted the visa requirement on Colombia for short visits and that this arrangement also applies in the Schengen area. The Deputy will also be aware that both the UK and Schengen States intend to introduce in the near future an Electronic Travel Authorisation System for certain non-visa required countries.

It is the case that Colombia remains on the list of visa required countries for Ireland. In support of visa processing in Colombia, it is planned to open a Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Bogota in the first quarter of 2023. My Department has also extended the multi-entry visa option for up to 5 years for all visa required countries, including Colombia. These measures should assist in timely processing of visa applications and a more flexible visa package for Colombian citizens visiting Ireland.

In general, the decision to impose a visa requirement is based on a variety of factors including the risk of irregular immigration, public policy and security, tourism and trade and the Common Travel Area. While there is no immediate proposal to lift the visa requirement on Colombia, this matter is being kept under active review.