Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 June 2026
497. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the action is being taken by his Department to improve upon current timelines for the processing of Irish residency permit renewal applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48029/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra498. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the measures being undertaken by his Department to ensure that there is sufficient staffing numbers to process Irish residency permit renewal applications, in view of significant delays currently being experienced by applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48030/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra499. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if consideration would be given to the provision of clear guidance for employers, landlords, and financial institutions confirming that a pending Irish residency permit renewal application with acknowledgement email and OREG number would be treated as valid proof of status, so the burden of the delay in the processing of an Irish residency permit renewal application does not fall on individual applicants thus not impacting on their employment whilst the application is being processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48031/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra500. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the current average processing time for online Stamp 4 renewal applications; the number of renewal applications currently awaiting decision; the measures being taken to address processing backlogs within immigration service delivery; whether consideration has been given to introducing an expedited or compassionate processing pathway for applicants facing urgent travel, family or employment circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48086/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra536. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he is aware of the delays in processing applications for visa renewals and IRP cards (details supplied); his plans to address the backlog issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47615/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra537. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration his views on the delays in processing IRP renewal applications, for example for Russian nationals who are legally living and working here; if he will clarify the steps he is taking to address these serious matters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47616/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 497, 498, 499, 500, 536 and 537 together.
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, and I can assure the Deputy that 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 16 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/.
In order to ensure a fair and equitable service, renewals are processed in order of date submitted. If the application is approved, the person concerned can expect to receive their new Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card within the following 10-15 working days.
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/.
If an employee’s 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 12 week provision is subject to the employee providing proof that they have applied to renew their permission, including when changing stamp category, prior to their current IRP card expiring.
Applicants can now directly check the status of their immigration application on the Immigration Service’s Customer Service Portal. They can register for, or log in to their existing account, at https://portal.irishimmigration.ie/en/.
It is also open to any person to request to have their renewal application expedited due to extenuating circumstances, and they can do so by contacting the Registration team of my Department via the Customer Service Portal. They will need to explain their circumstances and the urgent need to travel and will be required to submit proof of travel, for example a flight booking and the reason of the emergency. All such requests are considered on a case by case basis.
