Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 October 2025
433. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he is aware of the fact his Department has spent €4.6 million on court cases brought by citizenship applicants due to long waiting times (details supplied), the means by which his Department will address these waiting times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53578/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am aware that a small proportion of naturalisation applicants have taken legal action in relation to the processing time of their application. These cases should be taken in the context of an increasing number of applications. Last year in 2024, Citizenship Division received over 27,376 applications and made more than 31,000 decisions.
I understand that extended wait times can be frustrating for applicants. I want to assure anyone who has an application for naturalisation submitted, that the Citizenship Division is doing everything possible to progress applications as quickly as possible.
I expect that going forward, the majority of applicants will continue to receive a decision within one year, however, 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 citizenship, robust and comprehensive checks must take place on each application. Unfortunately, some checks, including international ones, can take a considerable amount of time and these are largely outside of the control of the Immigration Service.
Citizenship Division have also taken a significant number of steps to speed up the process for applicants. These included introducing an online digital application, online payments, and the introduction of eVetting. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that these changes are dramatically reducing processing times.
The length of time taken to process an application has dropped from 15 months in 2023, to 8 months in 2024.
In recent years, training has also been provided to Citizenship Division staff to ensure that unsuccessful applicants are fully aware of the reasons for a refusal. This has had a significant impact on the number of judicial reviews received. In 2024, the number of judicial reviews taken in relation to citizenship applications was 13% down on 2023.
