The Registration Office of my Department is currently experiencing an exceptionally high demand for first time registration appointments and immigration permission renewal applications.
I understand that the extended wait times can be frustrating for applicants. I can assure the Deputy that my Department is doing everything possible to facilitate as many customers as possible and I am working with officials to ensure that increased processing capacity is put in place to address the high demand.
The Registration Office provide a live processing date, 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/#processing
They are currently processing applications submitted from 21 November 2025. To ensure a fair and equitable service, renewals are processed in order of date submitted. 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.
If an application is approved, it may take up to a further 15 business days to receive the new Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card by post.
The Registration Office has also issued a notice to employers regarding the legality of employing someone awaiting renewal. This notice can be found here: www.irishimmigration.ie/notice-to-employers-regarding-employees-awaiting-renewal-of-their-irp-card/
I can inform the Deputy that, since 13 January 2025, all nationwide first-time registrations of Irish immigration residence permissions are the responsibility of the Registration Office of Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) of my Department. Furthermore, since 2024, all renewals of immigration permissions transferred to ISD and are done using my Department’s online platform, meaning that applicants from across the country no longer have to attend in person at their local Garda Station.
This completed the full civilianisation of the Garda administrative immigration functions as recommended by the Report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. Prior to this transfer, over 100 Gardaí were assigned to immigration duties.
Building on this, and 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 also went live in 2024. The Portal is a self-service portal that enables applicants to check their immigration application status, book first-time registration appointments, and submit queries.
This digitisation is aimed at providing a system that is as efficient as possible for our customers. 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 and there are no reported issues with my Departments online systems. If the Deputy is aware of any particular issues with the service or an application, he can contact my Department's Immigration Oireachtas service, IMoireachtasmail@justice.ie, who can assist to resolve the matter.
