Question
105. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if the visa application process for persons travelling here from Georgia can be improved so as to enable applications to be expedited and completed in a more efficient manner. [26832/16]
Answer
Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality (Deputy Frances Fitzgerald): I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that visa applications made by persons residing in Georgia are processed by the Irish Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The Embassy in Sofia is the accredited Embassy for Georgia as Ireland does not currently have a Diplomatic Mission there. Staff of the Department of Foreign Affairs based in Sofia, as with all other Irish Embassies abroad, have the authority to process some visa applications under delegated sanction from my Department. In circumstances where an application cannot be processed under delegated sanction, it is forwarded to the INIS Visa Office in Dublin for processing.
In general, every effort is made to process visa applications as quickly as possible. However, time-frames for decision can vary having regard to the volume of applications, their complexity and the resources available to process them. In that regard, I am advised that 50% of all applications received from Georgia in 2015 were issued with a decision within one week of receipt by the Embassy, with a total of 80% issued a decision within two weeks.