Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 July 2026
69. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of long stay (join family) visa applications received, approved and rejected by his Department in each of the years 2023 to 2025 and to-data in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49369/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can advise the Deputy that my Department currently operates seven overseas Visa Offices in addition to the Visa Office in Dublin. These are located in Abuja, Beijing, London, Moscow, Ankara, Abu Dhabi and New Delhi. In addition, staff of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade process certain visa applications in Irish Embassies abroad under delegated authority from my Department.
Processing times and decisions at the Visa Offices in Dublin and overseas can be checked at the following link: www.irishimmigration.ie/visa-decisions
In December 2025, the Immigration Service of my Department introduced online payment functionality to my Department's online visa system. This allows applicants to pay visa fees as part of the online application process. The initiative is being rolled out on a phased basis and is currently live in 40 countries, with South Africa added in January 2026. This reduces the administrative burden on Irish Missions and visa teams, and allows visa officers to dedicate more time to core application processing and decision-making, contributing to improved processing efficiency over time.
Furthermore, the ongoing Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) modernisation programme is designed to support a more efficient, transparent and accessible immigration system. The recent establishment of dedicated teams for Application Submission and Join Family Case Processing are intended to help streamline workflows, reduce duplication and strengthen expertise, thereby improving the service delivery for join family visa applications.
The tables below outline the figures for Join Family applications received, granted and refused as requested by Deputy.
Table 1. Join Family Visa applications received 2023 - 2026 (to 31/05)
|
Category |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
2026 |
|
Family member of EU/EEA/Swiss cit. (de facto partner) |
28 |
35 |
51 |
26 |
|
Family member of EU/EEA/Swiss cit. (other) |
818 |
1,021 |
1,431 |
700 |
|
Family member of EU/EEA/Swiss cit. (spouse) |
1,170 |
1,512 |
2,252 |
1,276 |
|
Join Family (Irish nat.)(de facto partner) |
39 |
52 |
64 |
19 |
|
Join Family (Irish nat.)(other) |
1,005 |
1,013 |
910 |
230 |
|
Join Family (Irish nat.)(spouse) |
1,081 |
1,042 |
1063 |
410 |
|
Join Family (Non-EEA nat.)(de facto partner) |
52 |
117 |
71 |
35 |
|
Join Family (Non-EEA nat.)(other) |
8,769 |
10,399 |
8,728 |
2,962 |
|
Join Family (Non-EEA nat.)(spouse) |
8,172 |
9,235 |
8,475 |
3,280 |
|
Join Family (UK nat.) |
107 |
101 |
110 |
55 |
|
Join Family (de facto partner CSEP/HA) |
110 |
115 |
142 |
62 |
|
Preclearance - Join Family (Dependents) |
<5 |
0 |
<5 |
0 |
|
Preclearance - Join Family (Irish nat.)(de facto partner) |
0 |
<5 |
0 |
0 |
|
Preclearance - Join Family (UK nat.) |
0 |
0 |
19 |
0 |
* Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.
* The Department does not release figures where there are less than 5, as there is a possibility that a person may be identifiable by releasing such information.
Table 2. Join Family Visa applications granted at first instance 2023 - 2026 (to 31/05)
|
Category |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
2026 |
|
Family member of EU/EEA/Swiss cit. (de facto partner) |
13 |
13 |
23 |
<5 |
|
Family member of EU/EEA/Swiss cit. (other) |
400 |
517 |
721 |
274 |
|
Family member of EU/EEA/Swiss cit. (spouse) |
837 |
1,104 |
1,523 |
502 |
|
Join Family (Irish nat.)(de facto partner) |
12 |
18 |
29 |
12 |
|
Join Family (Irish nat.)(other) |
501 |
567 |
431 |
157 |
|
Join Family (Irish nat.)(spouse) |
581 |
500 |
533 |
268 |
|
Join Family (Non-EEA nat.)(de facto partner) |
18 |
51 |
36 |
<5 |
|
Join Family (Non-EEA nat.)(other) |
7,355 |
8,426 |
6,927 |
1,204 |
|
Join Family (Non-EEA nat.)(spouse) |
6,700 |
7,700 |
6,643 |
1,296 |
|
Join Family (UK nat.) |
11 |
28 |
52 |
8 |
|
Join Family (de facto partner CSEP/HA) |
70 |
63 |
97 |
20 |
|
Preclearance - Join Family (Dependents) |
<5 |
0 |
<5 |
0 |
|
Preclearance - Join Family (Irish nat.)(de facto partner) |
0 |
0 |
<5 |
0 |
|
Preclearance - Join Family (UK nat.) |
0 |
0 |
19 |
0 |
* Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.
* A decision made in a particular year may relate to an application received in a previous year.
* The Department does not release figures where there are less than 5, as there is a possibility that a person may be identifiable by releasing such information.
Table 3. Join Family Visa applications refused at first instance 2023 - 2026 (to 31/05)
|
Category |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
2026 |
|
Family member of EU/EEA/Swiss cit. (de facto partner) |
12 |
15 |
23 |
5 |
|
Family member of EU/EEA/Swiss cit. (other) |
349 |
498 |
430 |
255 |
|
Family member of EU/EEA/Swiss cit. (spouse) |
337 |
322 |
472 |
230 |
|
Join Family (Irish nat.)(de facto partner) |
17 |
7 |
26 |
8 |
|
Join Family (Irish nat.)(other) |
364 |
194 |
119 |
32 |
|
Join Family (Irish nat.)(spouse) |
394 |
185 |
122 |
26 |
|
Join Family (Non-EEA nat.)(de facto partner) |
16 |
12 |
22 |
7 |
|
Join Family (Non-EEA nat.)(other) |
533 |
457 |
367 |
132 |
|
Join Family (Non-EEA nat.)(spouse) |
416 |
438 |
250 |
85 |
|
Join Family (UK nat.) |
59 |
41 |
83 |
22 |
|
Join Family (de facto partner CSEP/HA) |
24 |
13 |
25 |
<5 |
* Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.
* A decision made in a particular year may relate to an application received in a previous year.
* The Department does not release figures where there are less than 5, as there is a possibility that a person may be identifiable by releasing such information.
