128. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if an application for citizenship will be expedited for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46051/26]

The naturalisation application referred to by the Deputy is at the registration stage.

I expect that going forward, the majority of applicants will receive a decision within one year, however, it is important to note that no two naturalisation applications are the same and some take longer than others to process.

Unfortunately, applications cannot be expedited due to the intended purpose of naturalisation such as travel, or to join family members.

My Department has taken a significant number of steps to speed the process for applicants. These included introducing an online digital application, online payments, and the introduction of eVetting. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that these changes are reducing processing times.

Applicants can now directly check the status of their immigration application on the Immigration Service’s Customer Service Portal. 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: IMoireachtasmail@justice.ie, 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.