Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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584. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the reason the majority off all join family visa applications are being sent to visa HQ in Dublin when several embassies hold powers to process in-house; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35950/25]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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585. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the average processing time for join family visas processed in Dublin HQ given the 72-day processing time stated by him in previous parliamentary questions is not in line with processing times stated on the ISD website; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35951/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 584 and 585 together.

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. While the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade processes certain visa applications in Irish Embassies abroad under delegated sanction from my Department, this sanction does not extend to the consideration of join family visa applications in all circumstances.

Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are only delegated to consider join family visas when they are submitted alongside an application for an employment visa for holders of Critical Skills Employment Permits. All other join family visa applications must be considered by the Dublin Visa Office or by one of the seven overseas Visa Offices.

Join family visas require a detailed and often complex assessment of the person and their family member’s individual circumstances. If a join family visa is refused, this potentially has very serious consequences for the family concerned. Therefore, it essential that these applications are considered by officials from my Department's Visa Division who have the necessary skills, expertise and experience.

Processing times for all applications are influenced by a number of factors and some applications may take considerably longer than average to progress to finalisation. 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.

The current processing times of join family visa applications 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 Critical Skills Employment Permit 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 made in other circumstances within 12 months. This target applies to applications processed by the Dublin Visa Office and those processed in the seven overseas Visa Offices.

I can advise the Deputy that 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 application was 72 calendar days.

The processing dates of the Dublin Visa Office published on my Department’s website are different to the average processing time figure for 2024, because they refer to the oldest date of application currently being processed by the Dublin Visa Office. However, it should be noted that the Visa team continue to process and make decisions on applications received after the published processing date. If a particular application takes longer to consider this may result in the published processing date remaining unchanged. I can assure you that this does not indicate the processing of these applications has halted overall.

My Department is committed to providing the best possible service to applicants. To provide greater clarity, officials in my Department are currently in the process of updating the Immigration Service website for processing times for decisions on visa applications by the Dublin Visa Office.

I understand that extended wait times can be frustrating for applicants, and 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. 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.

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.

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.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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586. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the reason there is no ability to track when visa applications have been sent from an embassy abroad to visa HQ in Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35952/25]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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587. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the reason postal queries sent to visa HQ are taking upwards of six months for replies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35953/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 586 and 587 together.

In keeping with the Government commitment to significantly enhance the delivery of public services digitally, phase one of my Department's Immigration Customer Service Portal went live in October 2024. The Customer Service Portal is a self-service portal that enables applicants to check their immigration application status, book first-time registration appointments and raise queries in relation to their applications, including visa applications.

Visa applications that are received in embassies abroad will be registered on my Department’s immigration records management system and applicants can subsequently confirm the status of their application using the Customer Service Portal. The portal will detail to customers the stage their application is at i.e. application received, application accepted, application in progress, application decision, or application complete.

My Department is committed to providing the best possible service to applicants and a centralised applicant support team is in place comprising of over 20 staff to support this. Since the launch of the Customer Service Portal and up to 26 June 2025, I can advise the Deputy that there are now over 137,000 registered customers and there has been over 102,000 resolved queries. Additionally, almost 55,000 registration appointments have been made.

I can advise the Deputy that in most cases, postal correspondence received to my Department’s Visa Division comprises of additional documentation for association with an applicant’s file. Where a customer has a query, the Customer Service Portal is the primary avenue to communicate with the Immigration Service.

My Department continues to monitor customer experience and is committed to its continuous improvement. The functionality of all our online platforms are under constant review.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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588. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to clarify his Department’s new policy to not refuse visas in the first instance and instead RFI with a 15-day deadline, and the impact of such on processing times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35954/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I can advise the Deputy that there has been no change to my Department's policy regarding the processing of Irish Visa applications.

When a person applies for an Irish visa, they are required to complete an application form and supply all the required documentation. Guidelines to assist individuals making visa applications are published on my Department's website, this includes a full list of the different application forms and the necessary documents. People that carefully follow these guidelines have an improved prospect of receiving a positive decision.

In most circumstances my officials issue a decision on a visa application based on the information submitted in support of the application. However, on occasion a request for additional information will be made to a person. Normally, these requests are made when a small amount of information is required or in exceptional circumstances. The responsibility remains on the person to provide full information at time of application and my officials do not, in the normal course of events, seek additional information regarding each application.

I can advise the Deputy, that if a Visa Officer intends to refuse an application on the grounds of deception, for example if there are concerns that fraudulent information has been provided, a ban of up to 5 years may be made against the person. In these circumstances, the individual is given 15 working days to address the Visa Officer’s concerns in respect of the information provided to the Visa Office. This process is to ensure people have a fair opportunity to explain any inconsistencies, mistakes or misunderstandings regarding their application which, if unaddressed, could prevent them from applying for an Irish visa in future.

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.

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.