Written answers
Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Department of Justice and Equality
Visa Applications
Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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982. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality for an update on the visa application for a person (details supplied) regarding family reunification; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1083/25]
Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I am happy to inform the Deputy that following full consideration by a Visa Officer the Visa was issued on 14 January 2025.
Entry into the State is solely at the discretion of the Immigration Officer at the port of entry. The onus is on the individuals to have all documentation relating to their reasons for entering Ireland for presentation to the Immigration Officer to gain entry. The Immigration Officer may grant leave to enter to a maximum period of three months. They may, depending on the documentation presented refuse entry to the state or grant a lesser period than three months.
Any non EU/EEA nationals who wish to remain for longer than 90 days must register with their local immigration office and apply for further permission to remain before their initial permission to remain expires. Full details of the Registration process can be found at the link below:
www.irishimmigration.ie/registering-your-immigration-permission/how-to-register-your-immigration-permission-for-the-first-time/requirements-and-documents-needed/
The person concerned can now directly check the status of their immigration application on the Immigration Service’s new Digital Contact Centre . They can register for, or log in to their existing account, at:
portal.irishimmigration.ie/en/
As an Oireachtas member, you can also request the status of individual immigration cases by e-mail, using the Oireachtas Mail facility at: , 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.
Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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983. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the reason for the discrepancy in processing times for join family visas where the sponsor is an Irish citizen, in Category A or Category B, compared to where the sponsor is from another European Union Member State; and the steps being taken to decrease processing times. [1097/25]
Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I understand that extended wait times can be frustrating for applicants and I want to assure anyone who has an application for a join family visa that my Department is doing everything possible to progress applications as quickly as possible.
Processing times for these applications are influenced by a number of factors including the type and complexity of application, individual circumstances, the volume of applications and, crucially, the quality and completeness of the application lodged.
Processing times may also be affected by the legal basis on which the application is made.
Where an applicant is a family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, who is exercising their rights under EU law their visa application must be processed in accordance with relevant EU Law (Directive 2004/38/EC) as a qualifying family member or permitted family member. It is important to note that such visa applications are only applications to travel to the State and do not give permission to reside in the State. If a visa is granted, that person must make a further application to reside in Ireland after they arrive here.
Applications where the sponsor is an Irish citizen are not subject to a statutory timeframe process for the initial visa but are processed in accordance with the Join Family policy document. The initial visa application may take longer to process as it consists of an application to travel to the State together with a full assessment and application to reside in the State.
I am acutely aware that join family applications, are very important for the persons impacted and I am committed to improving the service my Department provides. In recent months, I have assigned additional resources and staff to my Department’s visa division which I expect reduce the waiting times for family applications in the coming months.
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