611. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he is aware of significant delays in the processing of spouse visa applications through the Irish Embassy in Abu Dhabi compared to other Irish missions, including New Delhi; the reasons for these delays; and the measures being taken to reduce waiting times and ensure timely family reunification for applicants. [49536/26]

I can advise the Deputy that my Department currently operates seven overseas Visa Offices in addition to the Visa Office in Dublin. These are located in Abuja, Beijing, London, Moscow, Ankara, Abu Dhabi and New Delhi. In addition, staff of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade process certain visa applications in Irish Embassies abroad under delegated authority from my Department.

While processing times can vary across the different Visa Offices and Irish Embassies, the majority of visas are processed within stated target times. The current processing times of applications for join family visas 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.

The business target reflects the detailed and often complex assessment that is required to be carried out in relation to applications for family reunification. My Department aims to process the majority of join family visa applications within this business target.

While the department makes every effort to process within business targets, local operational conditions such as the ongoing conflict, Embassy closures, shelter in place alerts from the government, have impacted processing in Abu Dhabi, in particular. Processing times and decisions at the Visa Offices in Dublin and overseas can be checked at the following link: www.irishimmigration.ie/visa-decisions/.

In December 2025, the Immigration Service of my Department introduced online payment functionality to my Department's online visa system. This allows applicants to pay visa fees as part of the online application process. The initiative is being rolled out on a phased basis and is currently live in 40 countries, with South Africa added in January 2026. This reduces the administrative burden on Irish Missions.