553. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of applicants, per county who are awaiting decisions under family reunification and other immigration permission schemes administered by Immigration Service Delivery; the average processing time for such applications; the steps being taken to reduce delays and improve customer service for applicants and their families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51095/26]

I understand the Deputy has clarified that his question relates to join family applications and also registration renewal applications.

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.

Visa and preclearance applications provide legal avenues for people moving to Ireland. It is important to recall these applications are screening processes, designed to establish that the person has a legitimate reason to come to Ireland prior to travel. Verifying an application is an important part of our immigration system and the checks involved can take time to complete.

While processing times can vary across the different Visa Offices and Irish Embassies, the majority of visas are processed within stated target times. In respect of join family visa applications, the majority receive a first instance decision within the 12 month business target.

Processing times and decisions at the Dublin Visa Office and the Overseas Visa Offices can be checked at the following link: www.irishimmigration.ie/visa-decisions/

It should be noted that some applications can take considerably longer. 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. Verifying an application is an important part of our immigration system and the checks involved can take time to complete.

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.

My Department does not collate statistics on the location of sponsors for any visa applications. As such, the data requested by the Deputy is not available. The table below outline the average processing times for join family applications.

Table 1. Join Family visa application processing times

* Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.

* All figures are calendar days and based on a 7-day week. There is no allowance made for weekends, public, bank or religious holidays in the various jurisdictions.

In relation to the renewal of immigration permissions, I can advise the Deputy that the Registration Office of my Department is currently experiencing an exceptionally high demand for first time registration appointments and immigration permission renewal applications. My Department is exploring every avenue available to facilitate as many customers as possible and to increase processing capacity.

The Registration Office is open seven days a week to facilitate customers to process both first time registration appointments and online renewals. Additional staff have been assigned to this work, which has now begun to reduce the processing time for renewals. For certain categories of renewals, the processing time is now approximately 6 - 8 weeks from the time of initial application, with no category exceeding a wait time of 17 weeks.

The Registration Office provide a live application processing date broken down by stamp category, which is updated every Monday, and is available at the following link:

www.irishimmigration.ie/registering-your-immigration-permission/how-to-renew-your-current-permission/renewing-your-registration-permission-if-you-live-in-the-republic-of-ireland/.

The Registration Office has also issued a notice to employers regarding the legality of employing someone awaiting renewal. If an employee’s Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card has expired and they are unable to obtain a new one by the expiry date of their current IRP card, they are still legally permitted to remain in the State on their existing IRP card for a maximum of 12 weeks. This is subject to the applicant submitting their renewal application prior to their current IRP card expiring. Further information on this notice can be found here: www.irishimmigration.ie/notice-to-employers-regarding-employees-awaiting-renewal-of-their-irp-card/.

In addition, customers may submit their renewal applications up to 12 weeks prior to expiry of permission, to allow sufficient time for an application to be reached and processed prior to a current permission expiring.