Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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290. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will report on the regularisation scheme for undocumented migrants. [63060/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Regularisation of Long Term Undocumented Migrants scheme opened on the 31 January 2022 and closed on 31 July 2022. This once in a generation scheme was 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 was designed in line with the Programme for Government commitment, which is to bring forward a regularisation scheme to create new pathways for long-term undocumented people and their dependents. The period of four years undocumented residence, or three years in the case of applicants with children, is consistent with this commitment and was approved by Government.

The scheme was only open to those who did not have a current permission to reside in the State and would enable eligible applicants to remain and reside in the State and to regularise their residency status.

My Department recorded 6,548 applications in respect of 8,311 people under the scheme, including 1,108 minors which were submitted as a part of family applications. As of the 12 December 2022, 4,857 decisions have been issued to applicants and of these: 4,796 (97 %) are positive decisions, 94 (2%) are negative decisions, and 47 (1%) applications have been withdrawn by the applicants for various reasons.

All other applications continued to be processed and processing times may vary depending on the complexity of the application. Applications where there is an existing deportation order will require additional processing.

Additionally, the International Protection strand of the Regularisation scheme, that opened on the 07 February 2022 and closed on the 07 August 2022, has recorded 3,193 applications up to 09 December 2022. To date 1,375 successful decisions have issued and an additional 1,017 applicants have been granted an equivalent permission by the International Protection Office.A further 396 applications were ineligible.

If a person did not meet the terms of the published scheme or did not apply and remains resident in the State without permission I encourage them to contact the Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) of my Department or their local immigration office and take all appropriate steps to regularise their status. Any application submitted should explain their current circumstances and future intentions in the State and provide any documentation they feel will support their application.

In all cases, people must engage with the authorities if they wish to be permitted to remain here legally. A pragmatic approach is taken in relation to each case, which is considered on its individual merits.

Each case of an undocumented person in the State is dealt with on a case-by-case basis and the Department has consistently urged anyone in this position to come forward if they wish to apply to regularise their position in the State.