2397. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the target processing times his Department has set for naturalisation applications for each of the years 2026 and 2027; the priority afforded to citizenship processing within his Departments work programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62108/26]

2398. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of applicants for naturalisation who have been approved and are awaiting a citizenship ceremony; the number of ceremonies held in 2025 and to date in 2026; the number of certificates conferred at each; the average time between an applicant receiving an approval letter and attending a ceremony; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62107/26]

2399. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of whole-time equivalent staff assigned to the Citizenship Division of Immigration Service Delivery; the number of applications for naturalisation received, in each of the years 2021 to date in 2026; whether he intends to increase that staffing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62106/26]

2400. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of applications for naturalisation currently awaiting a decision; the number awaiting a decision for more than twelve months and more than twenty-four months respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62105/26]

2451. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide an update on the number of applications for naturalisation currently being processed; the expected average waiting period for a person applying for naturalisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62431/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 2397, 2398, 2399, 2400 and 2451 together.

It is important to note that no two naturalisation applications are the same and some take longer than others to process. Given the importance of Irish citizenship, robust and comprehensive checks must take place in respect of each application. Unfortunately, some checks, including international enquiries and verifications, can take a considerable amount of time and are largely outside the control of Immigration Service Delivery. While I expect that, going forward, most applicants will receive a decision within one year, this cannot be guaranteed in every case due to the individual circumstances and complexity of applications.

The Citizenship Division currently has 81 staff assigned across all grades. Staffing levels are kept under constant review, taking account of operational needs, application volumes and available resources, and additional staff have been assigned to the team as required.

The number of naturalisation applications received by the Department in recent years is set out in the table below.

Table 1. Citizenship applications received 2021-2026

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

Citizenship Division has taken a significant number of steps in recent years to improve the application process and support more efficient case processing. These measures include the introduction of an online citizenship application process, online payment facilities and eVetting arrangements. These initiatives continue to improve the customer experience and support more streamlined processing.

Approximately 6,000 applicants who have recently been approved for naturalisation are awaiting attendance at a citizenship ceremony. Each such applicant has received an invitation to attend the Citizenship Ceremonies being held on 17 and 18 September 2026.

In 2025, 25 citizenship ceremonies were held and 29,300 certificates of naturalisation were conferred (adult and minor). In 2026 to date, 5 ceremonies have been held and 6,750 certificates have been conferred (adult and minor).

My Department does not maintain statistics on the average length of time between the issue of an approval letter and an applicant's attendance at a citizenship ceremony. The scheduling of ceremonies is dependent on a range of operational factors, including venue availability and the number of applicants to be accommodated. The timeframe is also affected by the time taken by an applicant making the payment.

There is no statutory processing time for naturalisation applications. However, the general objective of the Citizenship Division is to process straightforward applications as efficiently as possible. Citizenship processing remains a significant operational priority for my Department and I am committed to ensuring that the necessary resources and process improvements continue to be put in place to support the timely delivery of decisions.

As of 31 August 2026, there were 51,882 active naturalisation applications being processed by the Citizenship Division of my Department. Of these, 38,748 applications (74%) had been in the system for less than 12 months, while 8,064 applications had been in the system for between 12 and 24 months and 5,070 applications had been in the system for more than 24 months.