Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 July 2025
586. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the reason there is no ability to track when visa applications have been sent from an embassy abroad to visa HQ in Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35952/25]
View answer587. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the reason postal queries sent to visa HQ are taking upwards of six months for replies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35953/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 586 and 587 together.
In keeping with the Government commitment to significantly enhance the delivery of public services digitally, phase one of my Department's Immigration Customer Service Portal went live in October 2024. The Customer Service Portal is a self-service portal that enables applicants to check their immigration application status, book first-time registration appointments and raise queries in relation to their applications, including visa applications.
Visa applications that are received in embassies abroad will be registered on my Department’s immigration records management system and applicants can subsequently confirm the status of their application using the Customer Service Portal. The portal will detail to customers the stage their application is at i.e. application received, application accepted, application in progress, application decision, or application complete.
My Department is committed to providing the best possible service to applicants and a centralised applicant support team is in place comprising of over 20 staff to support this. Since the launch of the Customer Service Portal and up to 26 June 2025, I can advise the Deputy that there are now over 137,000 registered customers and there has been over 102,000 resolved queries. Additionally, almost 55,000 registration appointments have been made.
I can advise the Deputy that in most cases, postal correspondence received to my Department’s Visa Division comprises of additional documentation for association with an applicant’s file. Where a customer has a query, the Customer Service Portal is the primary avenue to communicate with the Immigration Service.
My Department continues to monitor customer experience and is committed to its continuous improvement. The functionality of all our online platforms are under constant review.
