Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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424. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to recent correspondence that issued from her Department’s citizenship registration unit in the case of a person (details supplied); if a time extension to obtain the requested documents will be granted given the communication from the Revenue Commissioners to the effect that it will take up to 20 days to obtain their P60s from 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7674/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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If any applicant requires further time in order to gather and submit requested documentation they can make a written request for an extension directly to Citizenship Division.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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425. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the reason for delay in progressing an application for citizenship in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7679/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The naturalisation application from the person referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed by my Department.

Citizenship Division wrote to the person concerned on both 24 November 2023 and 2 January 2024 explaining that their application cannot proceed as a spouse of an Irish National as they were not married 3 years before submitting their application. However, Citizenship Division have advised that this application will be processed as a standard adult based upon the full residency criteria under the relevant legislation. To this end, the applicant was required to submit further proofs of their residency in the State. Citizenship Division have received these documents and this application has resumed being processed.

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.

My Department is taking a number of steps to speed up the processing of applications and a number of digitisation measures have been introduced to increase efficiency in the process, including eVetting and online payments.

My Department has recently moved from paper to online based citizenship applications. This is one of a number of measures introduced in an effort to optimise the application process and enhance the overall customer service experience. As part of the new online process, customers are issued with an acknowledgment on submission of the online application. The forms provide a seamless application process and help guide applicants through what is required for an application.

Finally, I can advise the Deputy that the Citizenship Division of my Department continues to communicate regularly with all applicants to keep them informed as to updates on processing times and arrangements.

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: IMoireachtasmail@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.