Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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640. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when he will increase staffing at visa offices so that those who have submitted applications for critical skills visas and join family visas can see them processed on reasonable timelines. [32676/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I can advise the Deputy that there are currently seven overseas Visa Offices in addition to the Visa Office in Dublin. They are located in Abuja, Beijing, London, Moscow, Ankara, Abu Dhabi and New Delhi. In addition, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade process certain visa applications in Irish Embassies abroad under delegated sanction from my Department.

I understand that extended wait times can be frustrating for applicants, and I want to assure anyone who has made an application for a visa that my Department is doing everything possible to progress these applications as quickly as possible. 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 all applications.

I can advise the Deputy, that people who apply for an employment visas, including holders of Critical Skills Employment Permits (CSEP), can expect a decision within eight weeks from the date their application is received by the Visa Office or embassy.

The current processing times of applications for visas of CSEP holders and their family members varies depending on the circumstances when the application is made. If a non-EEA national is moving to Ireland because they have been granted a CSEP, they can apply for join family visas at the same time as their own employment visa. When these visas are applied for together, they are processed in tandem and are typically completed in under eight weeks.

My Department aims to process join family visa applications for family members of CSEP holders which are not made at the same time as the CSEP holder’s employment visa application within 12 months.

I can advise the Deputy that majority of join family visas receive a first instance decision within the 12 month business target. In 2024 the average processing time for join family applications for family members of non-EEA citizens was 67 days. In 2025 to 31 May, the average processing time for a Join Family visa sponsored application was 86 days. This figure includes join family visa applications sponsored by CSEP holders and other non-EEA nationals.

Processing times for all applications are influenced by a number of factors. The time it can take varies depending on the type and complexity of application; individual circumstances; peak application periods; such as holidays or the start of the school year; and, crucially, the quality and completeness of the application lodged.

In 2024, approximately 201,000 visa applications, of all types, were received by the Visa Division of my Department. This reflects an increase of 21%, compared to 2023, with over 35,000 additional applications received. These increases have continued, in the first five months of 2025, my Department's Visa Division received approximately 88,400 visa applications and has issued over 76,900 decisions. This reflects an increase in applications of 14%, compared to the same period in 2024, with over 10,700 additional applications received. My officials are working to meet the increased level of demand, and over 5,400 additional visa decisions have issued in the first five months of 2025, compared to the same period in 2024.