56.      (1) A qualified person (in this section referred to as the “sponsor”) may, subject to subsection (8), make an application to the Minister for permission to be given to a member of the family of the sponsor to enter and reside in the State.

(2) The Minister shall investigate, or cause to be investigated, an application under subsection (1) to determine—

(a) the identity of the person who is the subject of the application,

(b) the relationship between the sponsor and the person who is the subject of the application, and

(c) the domestic circumstances of the person who is the subject of the application.

(3) It shall be the duty of the sponsor and the person who is the subject of the application to co-operate fully in the investigation under subsection (2), including by providing all information in his or her possession, control or procurement relevant to the application.

(4) Subject to subsection (7), if the Minister is satisfied that the person who is the subject of an application under this section is a member of the family of the sponsor, the Minister shall give permission in writing to the person to enter and reside in the State and the person shall, while the permission is in force and the sponsor is entitled to remain in the State, be entitled to the rights and privileges specified in section 53 in relation to a qualified person.

(5) A permission given under subsection (4) shall cease to be in force if the person to whom it is given does not enter and reside in the State by a date specified by the Minister when giving the permission.

(6) A permission given under subsection (4) to the spouse or civil partner of a sponsor shall cease to be in force where the marriage or the civil partnership concerned ceases to subsist.

(7) The Minister may refuse to give permission to enter and reside in the State to a person referred to in subsection (4) or revoke any permission given to such a person—

(a) in the interest of national security or public policy (“ordre public”),

(b) where the person would be or is excluded from being a refugee in accordance with section 10,

(c) where the person would be or is excluded from being eligible for subsidiary protection in accordance with section 12,

(d) where the entitlement of the sponsor to remain in the State ceases, or

(e) where misrepresentation or omission of facts, whether or not including the use of false documents, by the person was decisive in the decision to give the person the permission.

(8) An application under subsection (1) shall be made within 12 months of the giving under section 47 of the refugee declaration or, as the case may be, subsidiary protection declaration to the sponsor concerned.

(9) In this section and section 57, “member of the family” means, in relation to the sponsor—

(a) where the sponsor is married, his or her spouse (provided that the marriage is subsisting on the date the sponsor made an application for international protection in the State),

(b) where the sponsor is a civil partner, his or her civil partner (provided that the civil partnership is subsisting on the date the sponsor made an application for international protection in the State),

(c) where the sponsor is, on the date of the application under subsection (1) under the age of 18 years and is not married, his or her parents and their children who, on the date of the application under subsection (1), are under the age of 18 years and are not married, or

(d) a child of the sponsor who, on the date of the application under subsection (1), is under the age of 18 years and is not married.