Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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278. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will outline the visa requirements for Colombian visitors entering Ireland compared to other EU member states; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63016/22]

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, a new Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Bogota is due to commence operations next Monday. 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.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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279. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will outline the role that an organisation (details supplied) plays when issuing Irish visas for visitors from certain countries; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63017/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I am advised that a number of steps have been taken in recent years to upgrade the visa processing system to make it more efficient and easier for visitors from abroad to submit their visa applications for travel to Ireland; this has included the availability of services provided by VFS Global at their Visa Application Centres (VACs). It is important to state that the services provided by this organisation do not extend to making decisions on visa applications; such decisions are the sole remit of either the staff of my Department or the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The use of these centres provides greater accessibility to applicants in these countries as they can make visa applications at locations nearer to them. They also greatly increase the visibility of Ireland as a destination for tourism, business or education purposes across a wider geographical area in very large countries or countries where our consular representation is not physically present. For example, in India there are a total of twelve centres established across the country where applications for both Irish and United Kingdom visas can be made and where initial processing of documentation is carried out. Similar arrangements apply in China where applications for Irish visas can be submitted in one of sixteen centres (including Hong Kong).

The applicant can choose the centre most convenient to their home or business address, and for a small extra charge, can choose to have the visa returned by courier to their home or business address. There is also a facility for group bookings to facilitate applicants who are travelling together to Ireland. It is intended over time to expand the use of such facilities in order to provide better services to potential travellers to Ireland.

In addition, a number of services are provided for the fee charged by VFS, including an initial check of completeness of documentation required (which enables initial errors in the application to be corrected before transmission and subsequent delays), dispatching the application (and passport) by courier to the Visa Office, collecting the completed applications, and returning the passport to the applicant.

These facilities are provided to accept visa applications and supporting documents for transfer by courier to an ISD staffed Visa Office or Irish Embassy for processing by Irish civil servants. The company has no involvement in the decision making process. Applicants may also collect their visas and documents from the centre following completion of processing.

The charges associated with these services were previously borne by the applicant and, in some cases, could involve the applicant travelling (with associated costs) to the Visa Office or Embassy which could be located thousands of kilometres away. For example, in India where VFS Global are used, the distance from Mumbai to New Delhi is over 1,400km which is by no means the furthest distance that can be travelled in India from New Delhi.

As outlined, the administration fee is paid by the applicant. The commercial service partner also provides a range of additional services at the application centre. Such services are optional and the applicant only pays should they wish to avail of them. The fees charged by the commercial partner differ from country to country.

There are a total of 78 such Centres operational in 28 different countries including one in Bogota, Colombia, which is due to commence operations next Monday. VFS has also provided assurances that they are GDPR compliant and that the information and documentation provided by visa applicants is safeguarded in respect of the rules and regulations around data protection in general.