2016 Citizenship Approvals

[KingdomMan]

Hi all,

Here is my timeline:

Application date: 04/09/2015
Acknowledgment: 14/09/2015
2nd stage letter: 07/10/2015
Approval: Pending

I applied based on a 5 years residency, I have no issues in terms of speeding or fines, never went to court or anything like that.
I was once involved in a small car accident (no damage to either car and no injuries), there wan't even a scratch on either car but the garda were called, I was unlucky that day I guess, I was driving my partners car and she forgot to put the insurance disc (The car was insured and I was added as a second driver). in addition I forgot to carry my driving licence (I have a full driving licence)
The Garda called the insurance, he made sure I was insured, he took my details and told me he will check my driving licence status on the system, I never heard of him after so I presume that all of this won't have any affect on my application.

Sent an email today for the first time to inquire about the status of my case and got the following answer: "Your application is at an advanced stage and you will be informed of the Ministers decision as expeditiously as possible."

I was hoping for a better status but I think that I should have an answer within the next 4 - 6 weeks or so.
Am I right with my conclusion or am I getting it all wrong?

The good news is that you have not come to the adverse attention of the Garda and also you have your application now at advanced stage, therefore, your approval letter should come in the post in a couple of weeks/ at most, in 4 weeks' time from now. Looks good for you mate!

[johnkuffor200]

Thanks for your response Kingdom man, I applied based on 5 years residency even though I have 3 Irish kids, I was asked to provide copies of my old and new passport and states the dates I travelled and returned to Ireland. Is this a new trend for Inis because a friend of mine recently got the same letter too. I also included a receipt of a fine I had in 2013.

[Peace2804]

Hi all,

Here is my timeline:

Application date: 04/09/2015
Acknowledgment: 14/09/2015
2nd stage letter: 07/10/2015
Approval: Pending

I applied based on a 5 years residency, I have no issues in terms of speeding or fines, never went to court or anything like that.
I was once involved in a small car accident (no damage to either car and no injuries), there wan't even a scratch on either car but the garda were called, I was unlucky that day I guess, I was driving my partners car and she forgot to put the insurance disc (The car was insured and I was added as a second driver). in addition I forgot to carry my driving licence (I have a full driving licence)
The Garda called the insurance, he made sure I was insured, he took my details and told me he will check my driving licence status on the system, I never heard of him after so I presume that all of this won't have any affect on my application.

Sent an email today for the first time to inquire about the status of my case and got the following answer: "Your application is at an advanced stage and you will be informed of the Ministers decision as expeditiously as possible."

I was hoping for a better status but I think that I should have an answer within the next 4 - 6 weeks or so.
Am I right with my conclusion or am I getting it all wrong?

The good news is that you have not come to the adverse attention of the Garda and also you have your application now at advanced stage, therefore, your approval letter should come in the post in a couple of weeks/ at most, in 4 weeks' time from now. Looks good for you mate!

Cheers KingdomMan, wishing you all the best regarding your application!

[KingdomMan]

Thanks for your response Kingdom man, I applied based on 5 years residency even though I have 3 Irish kids, I was asked to provide copies of my old and new passport and states the dates I travelled and returned to Ireland. Is this a new trend for Inis because a friend of mine recently got the same letter too. I also included a receipt of a fine I had in 2013.

For some reasons, I think your application was delayed till now but with the latest development re the request from the Further Processing LSR Team for more documentation/ and clarifications on your travels outside the state and with your prompt response to the request, you stand a good chance of having your application submitted to the Minister for approval and you should, hopefully, be getting your application approved in the very nearest future. I wish you good luck.

[dhruv87]

@ Kingdom man,

received this email today can you confirm if this is a genuine reply or an automated text? also if anyone got approved after this email how long you were waiting ?


Your application is currently being processed with a view to establishing
whether it meets the statutory conditions for the granting of
naturalisation, such as good character and lawful residence, and will be
submitted to the Minister for decision as expeditiously as possible.

It is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a
decision on their application without delay.

As well as being a significant event in the life of the recipient, the
granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation as provided for in law
is also a major step for the State which confers certain rights and
entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level and
it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the
integrity of the process.

Regards

Tony Greene
Citizenship Section

@cracovia i got the same email last monday exact the same and i applied much earlier than u( last week june) ..i guess for some reason they weren't checking or processing my file but now they have to work on it..
I guess end of march or April we both wil hav good news..

[pixie12]

Hi all.Just new to this forum. Been reading stuff on here and i find some infos helpful so i decided to register myself.

I just applied for my irish citizenship based on my marriage to an irish national(hubby is irish by descent)
Been married 10 years and just been in ireland for 3 years now.
Since i just passed my application last january 18, 2016, and I've read there are stages for this. How soon will i be able to know if i need to pass more documents to them?(If i require any) Is it on the first stage or second stage?
Thanks in advance! Hopefully my application goes quick!:)

And oh I heard that the next citizenship ceremony is on MARCH 4, 2016 in Waterford.

[ddartt]

@pixie12, can you advise where did you get information about the next ceremony from? This is very important.

Thank you!

[pixie12]

I got it from a friend who's been a very reliable source.
He said it will be held in a Large room of the city hall. But can only accomodate 200+ people( i think only local applicants will be invited as what i understood) And there will be another ceremony a month after that in Dublin which is the main ceremony. Well hopefully that info helps u guys. And can u help me with my query? Thanks!

[ddartt]

That would be very disappointing if they only invite the local applicants to be honest, as there are a lot of people here waiting for their ceremony - it also seems odd to have a whole ceremony and a minister over for only 200 applicants. But thanks for the info!

As to your query, you should get an acknowledgment of your application with a receipt. At this stage they don't check all the documents throughout.

Then you will get what is called a "second stage" letter which can be from few weeks up to 2 months after your application. At this stage they've done the initial check on your application and satisfied you're good to go to the next stage, where they make enquiries with external agencies and Garda. Its on the documents check and second stage they can ask for extra documents.

The second stage take from a month to few months, after which the next thing you get is the decision, which will hopefully be an approval in your case!

Note that all timelines are "average" and depending on the individual circumstances they can vary significantly.

[pixie12]

Yeah, i bet its frustrating waiting for so long. I hope I am wrong with "only the locals will get an invite". Maybe and hopefully they can squeeze in a few applicants from different counties too. Heard the last time it was held in waterford during the regatta festival two years ago.

Thanks for that info Ddart.
Will just wait for mine. I know its a long process. So ill just be patient. Have a great night xx

[KingdomMan]

THE INFORMATION BELOW SHOULD BE USEFUL/HELPFUL TO SOME OF OUR MEMBERS HERE ON THIS FORUM (PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT OFFICIAL BUT SOMEONE'S CANDID OPINION BASED ON EXPERIENCE HANDLING APPLICATIONS FOR OVER FIFTY FAMILY, FRIENDS ETC.)

Simple time line that always work : (Following is for normal 5 years cases : Spouses of Irish subjects get it quicker than rest but not ALWAYS )

First letter / acknowledgement = 3 days to 2 weeks maximum . ( usually 1 week )

Second Stage Letter = 4 week to 8 weeks ( usually 6 weeks ) Will increase by a few days if they asked for anything .

Now is the stress stage : Approval letter

Look at date of your second stage letter ... Add 3 months 25 Days . ( Give or take 5 days ) You should have an approval letter . If not you been naughty somewhere .

in the waiting time simply email them if you are not sure about how is your application progressing .

The above include

Garda checks = 4 weeks
Revenue / Benefit / Social checks = 1 to 2 days each ( usually 1 day )
Advance Stage 3 to 6 weeks ( usually 4 )
Minister office = 3 to 4 weeks ( usually 3 )

Does Benefits/ Social of any kind delays you application ===== No
Do they give approval while you are on benefits / social welfare or were in last 3 years ===== Yes

Traffic and other offences delays = Not at all if you have not gone to court .

Court appeared and cleared or found guilty or you went guilty yourself or what ever the case : Delay 3 to 6 months in approval on top of normal time above . ( This applies even if cases was strck off or you were fined and paid it )

Not paid fines / unknown fines etc = Can be deferred for 1 year by minister ( Reapply after 1 year ) 50% of cases .

Away for more than 6 weeks = No problem as far as you declare with a valid reason .

What to avoid : Solicitors esp Trayers & Company , brophy etc Department delays the cases as they believe you have something serious to hide / fight for . Otherwise why will you use a solicitor for a so simple application . This is what they think now so don't gun me down for that , take your own decisions . Nearly 20 cases who applied through solicitors are delayed for me from 1 month to 6 months . ~ SOURCE: bstar

[emmalouise]

Hi all,

I have found it very helpful reading through other people's application timelines, so just wanted to add mine in as well.

Application date: 04/09/2015
Acknowledgment: 18/09/2015
2nd stage letter: 21/10/2015
Approval: 21/01/2016 (received today 25/01/2016)

I applied based on 5 years residency (Stamp 4, my husband is an EU Citizen).

Very best of luck to everyone still waiting!

[KingdomMan]

Hi all,

I have found it very helpful reading through other people's application timelines, so just wanted to add mine in as well.

Application date: 04/09/2015
Acknowledgment: 18/09/2015
2nd stage letter: 21/10/2015
Approval: 21/01/2016 (received today 25/01/2016)

I applied based on 5 years residency (Stamp 4, my husband is an EU Citizen).

Very best of luck to everyone still waiting!

Thanks for your post, very kind of you to share in your approval news of today.. I say a big congrats to you!

[uberneo]

I have got mine approved on 22 Jan 2016 , I had submitted the application in Sep 2015 .

As the next steps I do have few doubts , I hope somebody will be able to help me there.

Approval letter said that they need 3 things --

1) 950 Euros -- No doubt here

2) Garda Card -- So it means if i give them my garda card i will not be able to travel till next citizenship ceremony ? and what after when i get the certificate in ceremony , will i be able to travel using that certificate or will i have to apply for Irish passport first based on that certificate , wait for my irish passport and only then i will be able to travel?
In all these days will my Indian passport be of any use?

3) Original Travel Document (if applicable) - I am not sure which document they are referring to.

Also any info when next citizenship ceremony will happen.

Thanks

Pls uberneo, did u apply early, middle or late September 2015. Pls could u tell us. We would like to know if they have started to deal with applications submitted in sept. 2015. I applied in same month as u. Thanks

I had applied on 2nd Sep 2015 , so in total it took less than 5 months

[pixie12]

THE INFORMATION BELOW SHOULD BE USEFUL/HELPFUL TO SOME OF OUR MEMBERS HERE ON THIS FORUM (PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT OFFICIAL BUT SOMEONE'S CANDID OPINION BASED ON EXPERIENCE HANDLING APPLICATIONS FOR OVER FIFTY FAMILY, FRIENDS ETC.)

Simple time line that always work : (Following is for normal 5 years cases : Spouses of Irish subjects get it quicker than rest but not ALWAYS )

First letter / acknowledgement = 3 days to 2 weeks maximum . ( usually 1 week )

Second Stage Letter = 4 week to 8 weeks ( usually 6 weeks ) Will increase by a few days if they asked for anything .

Now is the stress stage : Approval letter

Look at date of your second stage letter ... Add 3 months 25 Days . ( Give or take 5 days ) You should have an approval letter . If not you been naughty somewhere .

in the waiting time simply email them if you are not sure about how is your application progressing .

The above include

Garda checks = 4 weeks
Revenue / Benefit / Social checks = 1 to 2 days each ( usually 1 day )
Advance Stage 3 to 6 weeks ( usually 4 )
Minister office = 3 to 4 weeks ( usually 3 )

Does Benefits/ Social of any kind delays you application ===== No
Do they give approval while you are on benefits / social welfare or were in last 3 years ===== Yes

Traffic and other offences delays = Not at all if you have not gone to court .

Court appeared and cleared or found guilty or you went guilty yourself or what ever the case : Delay 3 to 6 months in approval on top of normal time above . ( This applies even if cases was strck off or you were fined and paid it )

Not paid fines / unknown fines etc = Can be deferred for 1 year by minister ( Reapply after 1 year ) 50% of cases .

Away for more than 6 weeks = No problem as far as you declare with a valid reason .

What to avoid : Solicitors esp Trayers & Company , brophy etc Department delays the cases as they believe you have something serious to hide / fight for . Otherwise why will you use a solicitor for a so simple application . This is what they think now so don't gun me down for that , take your own decisions . Nearly 20 cases who applied through solicitors are delayed for me from 1 month to 6 months . ~ SOURCE: bstar

Thanks kingdom! Thats a really helpful timeline to know
Where your at with your application!

[p0nc1k]

Hello,

I recently submitted my application about 7 weeks ago (based on 5 year residency - stamp 4 , first de facto partner and recently married to an Irish citizen).

A lot people on this forum mention that acknowledgment and 2nd stage letter are two separate letters. However, it looks like I received both at the same time. There was also a receipt for the application fee attached.

It reads "(...)to acknowledge receipt of your application for naturalisation along with supporting documents and supporting documents and the statutory application fee. (...) Your application has now been initially assessed and has proceeded to the second stage of processing. (...)"

Application date: 01/12/2015
Acknowledgment + 2nd stage letter: 10/12/2015

Is this a normal procedure? Or am I to receive another letter about the 2nd stage?

Thanks

[mCGIW]

Hello,

I recently submitted my application about 7 weeks ago (based on 5 year residency - stamp 4 , first de facto partner and recently married to an Irish citizen).

A lot people on this forum mention that acknowledgment and 2nd stage letter are two separate letters. However, it looks like I received both at the same time. There was also a receipt for the application fee attached.

It reads "(...)to acknowledge receipt of your application for naturalisation along with supporting documents and supporting documents and the statutory application fee. (...) Your application has now been initially assessed and has proceeded to the second stage of processing. (...)"

Application date: 01/12/2015
Acknowledgment + 2nd stage letter: 10/12/2015

Is this a normal procedure? Or am I to receive another letter about the 2nd stage?

Thanks

Some people have got second stage letter directly too. Yours is one such case. All the best!

[KingdomMan]

THE INFORMATION BELOW SHOULD BE USEFUL/HELPFUL TO SOME OF OUR MEMBERS HERE ON THIS FORUM (PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT OFFICIAL BUT SOMEONE'S CANDID OPINION BASED ON EXPERIENCE HANDLING APPLICATIONS FOR OVER FIFTY FAMILY, FRIENDS ETC.)

Simple time line that always work : (Following is for normal 5 years cases : Spouses of Irish subjects get it quicker than rest but not ALWAYS )

First letter / acknowledgement = 3 days to 2 weeks maximum . ( usually 1 week )

Second Stage Letter = 4 week to 8 weeks ( usually 6 weeks ) Will increase by a few days if they asked for anything .

Now is the stress stage : Approval letter

Look at date of your second stage letter ... Add 3 months 25 Days . ( Give or take 5 days ) You should have an approval letter . If not you been naughty somewhere .

in the waiting time simply email them if you are not sure about how is your application progressing .

The above include

Garda checks = 4 weeks
Revenue / Benefit / Social checks = 1 to 2 days each ( usually 1 day )
Advance Stage 3 to 6 weeks ( usually 4 )
Minister office = 3 to 4 weeks ( usually 3 )

Does Benefits/ Social of any kind delays you application ===== No
Do they give approval while you are on benefits / social welfare or were in last 3 years ===== Yes

Traffic and other offences delays = Not at all if you have not gone to court .

Court appeared and cleared or found guilty or you went guilty yourself or what ever the case : Delay 3 to 6 months in approval on top of normal time above . ( This applies even if cases was strck off or you were fined and paid it )

Not paid fines / unknown fines etc = Can be deferred for 1 year by minister ( Reapply after 1 year ) 50% of cases .

Away for more than 6 weeks = No problem as far as you declare with a valid reason .

What to avoid : Solicitors esp Trayers & Company , brophy etc Department delays the cases as they believe you have something serious to hide / fight for . Otherwise why will you use a solicitor for a so simple application . This is what they think now so don't gun me down for that , take your own decisions . Nearly 20 cases who applied through solicitors are delayed for me from 1 month to 6 months . ~ SOURCE: bstar

Thanks kingdom! Thats a really helpful timeline to know
Where your at with your application!

My application is at the 'Stress Stage' (with the submission team since July 2015 till date). No approval in sight yet for me but life goes on. Easy does it!

[celiakara]

Hi kingdomman.I rang the INIS this morning and I was told that my application is with someone and already processed,and its ready to go to the ministers and it won't take longer they will be writing to me as soon as possible.
please do you any idea how long it will take???
It has been a long wait for me.

[Danny800]

I think Pixie12 is right about the March ceremony.
I stumbled into this:
http://www.1848tricolour.com/wp-content ... e-2016.pdf

That is a confirmation.
I hope I am invited for that ceremony.

[KingdomMan]

Hi kingdomman.I rang the INIS this morning and I was told that my application is with someone and already processed,and its ready to go to the ministers and it won't take longer they will be writing to me as soon as possible.
please do you any idea how long it will take???
It has been a long wait for me.

If your file is still with the submission team waiting to be forwarded to the minister for approval, then, you may stil have to wait for 1 - 2 months for your approval.

[brainy04]

How long an application can stay in advanced stage. I think aam going to make a record for being in advanced stage for longest period of time.

[ddartt]

I think Pixie12 is right about the March ceremony.
I stumbled into this:
http://www.1848tricolour.com/wp-content ... e-2016.pdf

That is a confirmation.
I hope I am invited for that ceremony.

Great info! Thanks! Waterford it is then.

Looking at the older thread from 2014, the Waterford ceremony was reeeeeally small, like 100-200 people only, so unfortunately likely to be Co Waterford applicants only. Its just a speculation though, me as well hope to be invited, but the hope is low as I live in Dublin...

[brainy04]

Whats the story with phone line of inis. I tried ringing many times but nobody answer. Or most of the time call doesn't connect. I am trying to ring on 062-32500

[KingdomMan]

I think Pixie12 is right about the March ceremony.
I stumbled into this:
http://www.1848tricolour.com/wp-content ... e-2016.pdf

That is a confirmation.
I hope I am invited for that ceremony.

Earlier on I projected that there'll be a ceremony for late February and with the look of things now, there's the possibility that a moderate number of approved applicants (from all the counties country-wide) will be holding on March 4th in County Waterford, then, another large number of approved applicants citizenship ceremony to hold sometime late in April 2016.