Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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279. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the current position in regard to the determination of eligibility for naturalisation in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10786/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Citizenship Division of my Department wrote to the applicant referred to by the Deputy on the 30 January 2023 setting out the current status of the application and requested documentary evidence in relation to matters outstanding. 

Upon receipt of this documentation processing of the application will recommence, with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation.

The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.

The median processing time for applications now currently stands at 19 months. I understand the extended wait times can be frustrating for applicants and my Department has been working hard to clear backlogs.

It is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. However, the nature of the naturalisation process is such that, for a broad range of reasons, some cases will take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.

However, my Department is taking a number of steps to speed up the processing of applications and a number of digitisation measures have also been introduced to increase efficiency in the process, including eTax clearance, eVetting and online payments. The end result of the digitisation process will be to free up more staff to focus on processing applications in a timely and efficient manner, to improve service to our customers and reduce waiting times.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at: INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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280. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when a response might be expected in respect of an application for naturalisation in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10790/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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An application by the person concerned for the Regularisation of Long Term Undocumented Migrants scheme was received by the Undocumented Unit of my Department on 04 March 2022 and continues to be processed. Due to the large number of applications on hand it is not possible to provide a definitive timeframe for a decision to issue.

The processing times of applications will vary depending on the complexity of the application, whether it is a single or family application, the supporting documentation and the vetting process with An Garda Síochána (AGS). Applications where there is an existing deportation order will require additional processing. 

Each application received is assessed individually in accordance with the published criteria, available on my Department's immigration website at: www.irishimmigration.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Undocumented-Policy-Scheme-January-2022.pdf

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.