The Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) has published its scheduled Tuesday update to the Visa Decisions section of its website, confirming that applications across most short- and long-stay categories lodged in Dublin after late May 2026 are still awaiting a first decision. Business visas are being processed for files received up to 24 March 2026; Employment visas up to 7 May; and tourist visas remain stuck at May 2025. Appeal files are even older, some dating to 2024. The publication — refreshed on 7 July 2026 — is a key barometer for relocation lead-times because Ireland operates a “first-in, first-out” system with no paid premium processing.
Whether you are submitting a single tourist request or coordinating a batch of Critical Skills entries, VisaHQ can act as an end-to-end visa concierge: its Ireland team reviews AVATS forms, arranges document legalisation, books biometrics slots and tracks passports door-to-door via a secure dashboard. Details are available at
Corporates planning fourth-quarter projects must therefore build in at least a three-month buffer for Critical Skills Employment Permits plus a further two-plus months for entry visas in markets such as India, the Gulf and Sub-Saharan Africa. ISD attributes the backlog to record application volumes (up 18 % year-on-year), a spike in family-reunification requests following the International Protection Act 2026, and ongoing recruitment challenges in visa offices. A new e-Visa pilot — announced in last month’s Digital Government Strategy — is promised for Q1 2027 but will initially cover only visit visas from the US and Canada. Mobility teams should: 1) shift where possible to the British-Irish Visa Scheme (BIVS) for Chinese and Indian short-stays via UK offices; 2) lodge in-country ‘change of status’ applications early for staff already on Stamp 1 G graduate permissions; and 3) monitor the weekly updates every Tuesday to time submissions immediately after a date ‘moves’ — anecdotal evidence suggests files lodged the same day enjoy a shorter wait. The Department of Justice has asked employers to consolidate bulk submissions by using the Trusted Partner employer code on AVATS forms, which speeds up internal vetting. Failure to do so could see files rerouted to the slower ‘Other’ queue currently showing a 24 March processing date.
Whether you are submitting a single tourist request or coordinating a batch of Critical Skills entries, VisaHQ can act as an end-to-end visa concierge: its Ireland team reviews AVATS forms, arranges document legalisation, books biometrics slots and tracks passports door-to-door via a secure dashboard. Details are available at
Corporates planning fourth-quarter projects must therefore build in at least a three-month buffer for Critical Skills Employment Permits plus a further two-plus months for entry visas in markets such as India, the Gulf and Sub-Saharan Africa. ISD attributes the backlog to record application volumes (up 18 % year-on-year), a spike in family-reunification requests following the International Protection Act 2026, and ongoing recruitment challenges in visa offices. A new e-Visa pilot — announced in last month’s Digital Government Strategy — is promised for Q1 2027 but will initially cover only visit visas from the US and Canada. Mobility teams should: 1) shift where possible to the British-Irish Visa Scheme (BIVS) for Chinese and Indian short-stays via UK offices; 2) lodge in-country ‘change of status’ applications early for staff already on Stamp 1 G graduate permissions; and 3) monitor the weekly updates every Tuesday to time submissions immediately after a date ‘moves’ — anecdotal evidence suggests files lodged the same day enjoy a shorter wait. The Department of Justice has asked employers to consolidate bulk submissions by using the Trusted Partner employer code on AVATS forms, which speeds up internal vetting. Failure to do so could see files rerouted to the slower ‘Other’ queue currently showing a 24 March processing date.
