Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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263. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if the waiting times for long-stay visa applications under the "join family" category are influenced by the permit type of the person they are joining in Ireland; the current waiting times for families of those on critical skills employment permits and those on general employment permits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25070/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I recognise the enormous contribution made by migrant workers to the Irish economy and society, and understand that extended wait times can be frustrating for applicants. I want to assure anyone who has made an application for a join family visa that my Department is doing everything possible to progress these applications as quickly as possible.

My Department’s Policy Document for Non-EEA Family Reunification, which was last amended in 2016, is currently under review. The Policy Document sets out the conditions for a sponsor to apply for a family member to be reunited with them in Ireland.

While I fully understand that some people moving to Ireland to live and work would wish to have their family join them, and acknowledge that there are different criteria between the employment permit types, the issues to be examined as part of a family reunification application are complex.

I also understand that some may find the difference in criteria between the employment permit types difficult to understand, however, I can assure the Deputy that the primary focus is to ensure that a sponsor is in a secure position and is able to demonstrate a clear capacity to provide for family members before approving applications for family to join them here.

Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) holders can sponsor join family visas when they apply for their employment visa. When these visas are applied for together, they are processed in tandem and are typically completed within 12 weeks. However, join family applications which are not processed in tandem with a Critical Skills Employment Permit sponsor, can take significantly longer.

Currently holders of a General Employment Permit (GEP) must wait for a period of twelve months before sponsoring a join family application. My Department aims to process join family visa applications of this type within 12 months.

I can assure the Deputy the majority of join family visas receive a first instance decision within the 12 month business target; in 2024 the average processing time for all types of Join Family visa applications was 72 calendar days.

In recent months, additional resources and staff have been assigned to my Department’s Visa Division which I expect will reduce the waiting times for join family applications.