Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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176. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality how a person (details supplied) can go about getting a visa refund given the long delays in processing times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36357/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I can advise the Deputy that on 10 July 2024 visa requirements were introduced for nationals of South Africa, bringing our arrangements into alignment with the visa requirements of Schengen members states, and with those of the UK.

The Dublin Visa Office have established a dedicated “South Africa desk” to process applications from residents of South Africa. My Department also established Visa Application Centres, located throughout South Africa, with visa service provider VFS Global. This is to ensure the facilitation of legitimate travel with processes that are robust, effective, and fair.

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.

Since July 2024 to date, over 11,700 applications of all types have been received by the South African Desk and over 7,900 decisions have issued with an overall 89% grant rate.

The South Africa Desk publishes guidance for people, target processing times and weekly decision reports, at the following webpage: www.irishimmigration.ie/south-africa-visa-desk/

The current target processing times for visa applications submitted to the South Africa Visa Desk are 10 to 12 weeks for applications to visit family/friend and approximately 14 weeks for tourist applications. I can assure the Deputy that efforts are being made to improve the current processing times.

If an application has significantly exceeded the above times, it is possible that, on initial assessment, the application has not met the criteria to be issued a visa, and further assessment/verification is required. In such instances, processing times will be longer than those stated above.

I understand extended wait times can be frustrating. I want to assure anyone who is waiting on a decision that my Department is doing everything possible to progress 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.

People are advised that unforeseen delays can arise, which are outside the control of the Visa Desk. 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.

I can advise the Deputy the visa fee is an administration fee which covers the cost of processing the application. This fee is non-refundable. Further information regarding visa application’s fees is available on my Department’s website, at the following address: www.irishimmigration.ie/preclearance-and-entry-visas-fees/

Any person can now directly check the status of their visa application on the Immigration Service’s new Customer Service portal. They can register for, or log in to their existing account at: portal.irishimmigration.ie/en/