Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

552. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of naturalisation cases open from 2020, 2021, 2022 and to-date in 2023; the average waiting time per case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35503/23]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 549 and 552 together.

My Department fully appreciates that delays in processing times can be very frustrating and disruptive to applicants for naturalisation.

The backlogs currently being experienced are an unfortunate legacy of the pandemic when staff could only attend the office in a limited capacity. The paper based nature of the application process means it was very difficult to process files during that time.

I would like to assure you that Citizenship Division is committed to reducing how long applicants have to wait for a decision while addressing the backlog as quickly as possible and improving its customer service.

There are currently significant changes underway as the Division examines how it can become more efficient. One of the improvements that has become visible recently has been the reduction in wait times for files to be registered. Last year it took on average about 7 months for a file to be acknowledged. This year it is done in a matter of weeks. A related improvement is that Garda vetting is now carried out earlier in the naturalisation process to help improve processing efficiency.

To ensure older files are also progressing under the new system my Department has recently written to 13,000 applicants with electronic links to commence eVetting. Over the last two months around 3,000 of these vetting files have been progressed and significant work is underway to ensure the remaining vetting is completed in the coming months with the aim of issuing invites to applicants for citizenship ceremonies by the end of this year.

The median processing time for applications currently stands at 19 months. The number of applications currently at hand at the end of June is 31,610. 4,312 were received prior to 30 June 2021.

To date in 2023, 6,061 naturalisation certificates have already issued and I can further advise the Deputy that approximately 8,700 of the applications on hand have in fact received a positive decision and are now in the process of making their final payment and/or being scheduled to attend a citizenship ceremony.

Finally, I can advise the Deputy that the Citizenship Division of my Department intends to regularly communicate with all applicants on a quarterly basis into the future, to keep them updated on the status of their application.

Please see as follows a table which shows applications on hand for each of the years referenced in the request.

*The 2023 figure is up to 30 June 2023.