Family Reunification for recipients of International Protection

A person who has been granted refugee status (either as a convention refugee or a programme refugee) or who has been granted subsidiary protection by the Minister for Justice, may apply to the Minister to grant permission for certain members of their family to join them in Ireland.

Refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection can apply for the following family members to join them in Ireland:

  • Your husband/wife, as long as you were married before you applied for international protection in Ireland;
  • Your civil partner, as long as you were in a civil partnership before you applied for international protection in Ireland;
  • Your child/children, as long as they are under 18 and not married;
  • If you are under 18 and not married, then you can also apply for your parents and brothers/sisters (as long as your brothers/sisters are under 18 and not married).

An application for family reunification must be made within 12 months of receiving a declaration for refugee status or subsidiary protection.

The application must be submitted in writing to the Family Reunification Unit of Immigration Service Delivery and you must provide each family member’s full name, date of birth, nationality, current address and their relationship to you.

The Family Reunification Unit will send out a questionnaire which must be completed within 28 days.

If the application is approved, you will receive a letter from Immigration Service Delivery confirming this, and also giving information on how to apply for a visa for your family members, how to apply for a travel document for your family members, if needed, and how to register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau once your family members arrive in Ireland.

An application for family reunification may be withdrawn by the Minster for Justice in the following circumstances:

  • If the family member does not enter Ireland by the date mentioned in the approval letter
  • If you no longer hold a declaration as a refugee of beneficiary of subsidiary protection
  • If you are no longer allowed to remain in the State
  • If you give false or misleading information or documents
  • In the interest of national security or public policy

We assist clients at all stages of the Family Reunification process and we can assist with completing the family reunification questionnaire and ensuring that you submit all the necessary documents to help ensure a successful application. Contact Sinnott Solicitors Dublin and Cork Today!

Family Reunification for Spouses/civil partners of Irish Citizens

The Non-EEA Policy Document of Family Reunification sets out the Irish government’s policy for bringing non-EEA family members to Ireland, including Non-EEA spouses/civil partners of Irish citizens.

The process for bringing your Non-EEA spouse/civil partner to Ireland will depend on whether your spouse is from a non-visa required country or from a visa-required country, and whether your spouse is already in Ireland or not.

You can check which nationalities are visa required here.

Spouses/civil partners of Irish citizens from non-visa required countries and who are not already in Ireland

If you are married to an Irish national and you are from a non-visa required country, you can travel to Ireland on the 90-day visa waiver scheme and you must then register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) if based in Dublin, or with your local immigration office if based outside of Dublin, if you wish to stay in Ireland for longer than 90 days.

This registration must take place within the 90-days of arrival in Ireland.

If you are based in Dublin, your spouse will need to book an online appointment with GNIB.

If you are based outside Dublin, your spouse will need to book an appointment by emailing your local immigration office.

You and your spouse must attend the registration appointment together and you must bring the following documents with you:

  • Your original marriage/civil partnership certificate
  • Your original passport
  • Your spouse/civil partner’s original passport
  • Evidence of your joint address in Ireland

You will then be granted a three-year residence card, which is renewable as long as the marriage is ongoing.

If the marriage breaks down, you are required to inform the Department of Justice of your change of circumstances within 7 days. You may be entitled to apply for retention of your residence permission if you can show that you have been married for at least 3 years and you have been residing in the State with your spouse for at least 2 years. An application must be submitted to the Department of Justice to request retention of your residence permission independently from your spouse in this instance. The Department of Justice can make an exception to this rule if the recipient of the residence permission is a victim of domestic violence.

Spouses/civil partners of Irish citizens from visa required countries and who are not already in Ireland

If you are from a visa required country, you will need to apply for a long-stay D visa before you can enter the country.

The Irish citizen is considered as the sponsor of their non-EEA spouse and must fulfil certain criteria is order to be eligible to sponsor their spouse to come to Ireland. The Irish citizen must have earned not less that €40,000 over the previous three years combined prior to their spouse applying for a visa, and the Irish citizen must not have ben fully reliant on state benefits for two years prior to applying for a visa. You must also provide detailed documentary evidence of the relationship history and dependency.

The long-stay D visa application is completed online initially and then the relevant supporting documents must be submitted to either the relevant Irish Embassy/Consulate or to the Visa office in Dublin. The completed online visa application form will confirm where your spouse/civil partner should submit the supporting documents. The original and supporting documents must be submitted within 30 days of the date of submission of the online visa application.

Processing times for visa applications vary but they can take approximately 8 months to process, although sometimes they are quicker.

If the visa application is refused, an explanation for the refusal must be given in writing and you have the right to appeal any refusal within two months of receiving the refusal letter.

Visa applications can be refused for many reasons but the most common reasons are that the Irish citizen does not meet the financial criteria or that there is not enough evidence of the relationship submitted. Therefore, it is very important to ensure that comprehensive and detailed supporting documents are submitted.

If the long-stay D visa is approved, then you can travel to Ireland and once in Ireland, you will need to register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) if based in Dublin, or with your local immigration office if based outside of Dublin.

If you are based in Dublin, your spouse will need to book an online appointment with GNIB.

If you are based outside Dublin, your spouse will need to book an appointment by emailing your local immigration office.

You and your spouse must attend the registration appointment together and you must bring the following documents with you:

  • Your original marriage/civil partnership certificate
  • Your original passport
  • Your spouse/civil partner’s original passport
  • Evidence of your joint address in Ireland

You will then be granted a three-year residence card, which is renewable as long as the marriage is ongoing.

If the marriage breaks down, you are required to inform the Department of Justice of your change of circumstances within 7 days. You may be entitled to apply for retention of your residence permission if you can show that you have been married for at least 3 years and you have been residing in the State with your spouse for at least 2 years. An application must be submitted to the Department of Justice to request retention of your residence permission independently from your spouse in this instance. The Department of Justice can make an exception to this rule if the recipient of the residence permission is a victim of domestic violence.

Spouses/civil partners of Irish citizens who are already in the State and have an alternative residence permission

If you marry an Irish citizen and you are already living in the State on an alternative residence permission, such as Stamp 2 student permission or Stamp 1 employment permit, you can register with GNIB or your local immigration office to amend your permission to a Stamp 4 residence permission. This will allow you to live and work in the State without the need for an employment permit.

If you based in Dublin, you can apply online to change your residence permission to Stamp 4 permission.

If you are based outside Dublin, you will need to book an appointment by emailing your local immigration office.

You and your spouse must attend the registration appointment together and you must bring the following documents with you:

  • Your original marriage/civil partnership certificate
  • Your original passport
  • Your spouse/civil partner’s original passport
  • Evidence of your joint address in Ireland

You will then be granted a three-year residence card, which is renewable as long as the marriage is ongoing.

If the marriage breaks down, you are required to informed the Department of Justice of your change of circumstances within 7 days. You may be entitled to apply for retention of your residence permission if you can show that you have been married for at least 3 years and you have been residing in the State with your spouse for at least 2 years. An application must be submitted to the Department of Justice to request retention of your residence permission independently from your spouse in this instance. The Department of Justice can make an exception to this rule if the recipient of the residence permission is a victim of domestic violence.

Spouses/civil partners of Irish citizens who are already in the State but don’t have valid residence permission

Is you are living in Ireland and are married to an Irish citizen but you do not have valid residence permission in the State, you can submit an application for residence permission as the Spouse/civil partner of an Irish national.

As part of the application, you will need to prove that your Irish citizen spouse has earned not less that €40,000 over the previous three years combined and the Irish citizen must not have been fully reliant on state benefits for two years prior to submitting the application. You must also provide detailed documentary evidence of your relationship history.

These applications are currently taking approximately one year to process, and the Immigration Service Delivery will not grant temporary residence permission while the application is being processed.

If the application is successful, you will be granted Stamp 4 permission to reside in the State for an initial period of 12 months, which can then be renewed, as long as the relationship is ongoing.

You will then need to register your permission with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) if based in Dublin, or with your local immigration office if based outside of Dublin.

If you are based in Dublin, your spouse will need to book an online appointment with GNIB.

If you are based outside Dublin, your spouse will need to book an appointment by emailing your local immigration office.

You and your spouse must attend the registration appointment together and you must bring the following documents with you:

  • The original letter granting you permission to reside in the State
  • Your original marriage/civil partnership certificate
  • Your original passport
  • Your spouse/civil partner’s original passport
  • Evidence of your joint address in Ireland

You will then be granted a one -year residence card, which is renewable as long as the marriage is ongoing.

If the marriage breaks down, you are required to informed the Department of Justice of your change of circumstances within 7 days. You may be entitled to apply for retention of your residence permission if you can show that you have been married for at least 3 years and you have been residing in the State with your spouse for at least 2 years. An application must be submitted to the Department of Justice to request retention of your residence permission independently from your spouse in this instance. The Department of Justice can make an exception to this rule if the recipient of the residence permission is a victim of domestic violence.

We assist clients at who wish to submit either long-stay D visas or spouse of Irish national applications if already living in the State, and we also help clients who need to submit applications for retention of their residence permission if a marriage breaks down. Contact Sinnott Solicitors Dublin and Cork Today!

Family Reunification for de-facto partner of Irish citizens

The Department of Justice’s definition of a de-facto partner of an Irish national is someone who is in a relationship akin to marriage, including cohabitation for 2 years prior to application for family reunification. This is very important as most applications will be refused if two year’s cohabitation cannot be proven.

De-facto partners of Irish citizens who are not already in Ireland

De-facto partners of Irish citizens who are not currently living in Ireland but want to move to Ireland with their Irish partner for longer than three months, must apply for immigration preclearance to enter Ireland before you travel to Ireland. This process applies to both non-visa required and visa required nationals.

You will need to prove that you are residing outside of Ireland and you must remain outside the State while the preclearance application is being processed.

Your Irish citizen partner will need to provide evidence that s/he has earned not less that €40,000 over the previous three years combined and the Irish citizen must not have been fully reliant on state benefits for two years prior to submitting the application. Your Irish partner must also not have sponsored (or been sponsored by) anyone else in the seven-year period prior to the preclearance application You must also provide detailed documentary evidence of your relationship history and proof of two-years cohabitation. You must also show that you have private medical insurance.

To apply for preclearance, you must submit an application to the Preclearance Unit within the Visa Division of the Immigration Service Delivery.

There is a €100 fee for the application. The Immigration Service Delivery does not provide a timeframe for processing these preclearance applications, but they can take a few months to process from our experience. If approved, the preclearance letter is valid for six months.

If you are from a visa required country and unless you are from China, India, Nigeria or Pakistan, you must wait until your preclearance application is successful before you apply for a long-stay D visa. If you are from China, India, Nigeria or Pakistan, you can apply for your visa at the same time as you make your preclearance application.

The long-stay D visa application is completed online initially and then the relevant supporting documents must be submitted to either the relevant Irish Embassy/Consulate or to the Visa office in Dublin. The completed online visa application form will confirm where you should submit the supporting documents. The original and supporting documents must be submitted within 30 days of the date of submission of the online visa application.

If you are from a non-visa required country, you should not travel to Ireland until you have received preclearance approval. The letter of approval will then need to be presented to the border official at the port of entry to Ireland.

Once you have arrived in Ireland, you will then need to register your permission with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) if based in Dublin, or with your local immigration office if based outside of Dublin.

If you are based in Dublin, you will need to book an online appointment with GNIB.

If you are based outside Dublin, you will need to book an appointment by emailing your local immigration office.

You and your partner must attend the registration appointment together and you must bring the following documents with you:

  • The preclearance approval letter
  • Your original passport
  • Your spouse/civil partner’s original passport
  • Evidence of your joint address in Ireland

If you are approved a preclearance application, you will be granted an initial one-year residence permission in the State. This can then be renewed as long as the relationship is ongoing. It is important to note the residence permission is conditional on the relationship, i.e. if the relationship ends, then the permission ends. The Department of Justice can make an exception to this rule if recipient if a victim of domestic violence.

If the pre-clearance application is refused, you will be issued with a letter outlining the reasons for the refusal. You can request to appeal the decision within six weeks of the date of the refusal letter.

De-facto partners of Irish citizens who are already in Ireland

If you are already living in Ireland and you are in a de-facto relationship with an Irish citizen, you can apply for residence permission as the de-facto partner of an Irish citizen.

It is important to note that this option is only available to persons who are residing in the State on an alternative residence permission, such as Stamp 2 student permission or Stamp 1 employment permit. Immigration Service Delivery will not accept an application for De-facto partnership immigration permission if the Applicant is present in the State on a short-stay C visa or on foot of the visa waiver programme. Immigration Service Delivery will also not accept applications from persons who do not have any valid residence permission in the State or from persons who are in the international protection process as an asylum-seeker.

If you have an alternative residence permission in the State, you can apply to amend your permission as the de-facto partner of an Irish national, and if successful, you will be granted Stamp 4 residence permission to live and work in the State without the need for a work permit.

Your Irish citizen partner will need to provide evidence that s/he has earned not less that €40,000 over the previous three years combined and the Irish citizen must not have been fully reliant on state benefits for two years prior to submitting the application. Your Irish partner must also not have sponsored (or been sponsored by) anyone else in the seven-year period prior to the preclearance application You must also provide detailed documentary evidence of your relationship history and proof of two-years cohabitation. You must also show that you have private medical insurance.

To apply for residence permission as the de-facto partner of an Irish citizen, you must submit an application to the De Facto Relationships Unit, Residence Division – Unit 5 of the Immigration Service Delivery.

These applications are currently taking approximately 6 -12 months to process, and the Immigration Service Delivery will not grant temporary residence permission while the application is being processed.

If the application is successful, you will be granted Stamp 4 permission to reside in the State for an initial period of 12 months, which can then be renewed, as long as the relationship is ongoing.

You will then need to register your permission with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) if based in Dublin, or with your local immigration office if based outside of Dublin.

If you are based in Dublin, your spouse will need to book an online appointment with GNIB.

If you are based outside Dublin, your spouse will need to book an appointment by emailing your local immigration office.

You and your spouse must attend the registration appointment together and you must bring the following documents with you:

  • The original letter granting you permission to reside in the State
  • Your original marriage/civil partnership certificate
  • Your original passport
  • Your spouse/civil partner’s original passport
  • Evidence of your joint address in Ireland

It is important to note the residence permission is conditional on the relationship, i.e. if the relationship ends, then the permission ends. The Department of Justice can make an exception to this rule if recipient if a victim of domestic violence.

If the application is refused, you will be issued with a letter outlining the reasons for the refusal. You can request to appeal the decision.

Do you need to request an appeal on the decision made for you application?
Contact Sinnott Solicitors Dublin and Cork Today!

Family Reunification for Parents of Irish citizen child

If you are the parent of an Irish citizen child, you can apply for residence permission in Ireland on that basis. This is as a result of the European Court of Justice Judgment in the Zambrano case, delivered on 8th March, 2011. In this case, the European Court of Justice ruled that Member States are precluded from refusing a third country national upon whom his minor children, who are European Union citizens, are dependent, a right of residence in the Member State of residence and nationality of those children, and from refusing to grant a work permit to that third country national, in so far as such decisions deprive those children of the genuine enjoyment of the substance of the rights attaching to the status of European Union citizen.

Your child may be entitled to Irish citizenship from birth if one of the parents is an Irish citizen at the time of the child’s birth, or if you or the other parent had reckonable residence in the State for three out of the previous four years prior to the child’s birth.

Parent of Irish citizen child who is already in the State and have an alternative residence permission

If you have an Irish citizen child and you are already living in the State on an alternative residence permission, such as Stamp 2 student permission or Stamp 1 employment permit, you can register with GNIB or your local immigration office to amend your permission to a Stamp 4 residence permission. This will allow you to live and work in the State without the need for an employment permit.

If you based in Dublin, you can apply online to change your residence permission to Stamp 4 permission.

If you are based outside Dublin, you will need to book an appointment by emailing your local immigration office.

You and your Irish citizen child must attend the registration appointment together and you must bring the following documents with you:

  • Your original passport
  • Your current Irish Residence Permit card
  • Your child’s original Irish passport
  • Your child’s original birth certificate
  • Evidence of your address in Ireland
  • Evidence of the child’s address in the State (i.e. letter from doctor or school/creche)

You will be entitled to residence permission in the State as long as your Irish citizen child continues to reside in the State.

Parent of Irish citizen child who is already in the State but doesn’t have valid residence permission

Is you are living in Ireland and you have an Irish citizen child but you do not have valid residence permission in the State, you can submit an application for residence permission as the parent of an Irish citizen child.

As part of the application, you will need to provide among other things documentary evidence of the financial and emotional role you are playing in the child’s life and proof that the child is residing in Ireland. The Immigration Service Delivery may request DNA evidence to confirm the biological link to the Irish citizen child.

These applications are currently taking approximately one year to process, and the Immigration Service Delivery will not grant temporary residence permission while the application is being processed.

If the application is successful, you will be granted Stamp 4 permission to reside in the State for an initial period of 12 months, which can then be renewed, as long as the child is residing in the State.

You will then need to register your permission with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) if based in Dublin, or with your local immigration office if based outside of Dublin.

If you are based in Dublin, your spouse will need to book an online appointment with GNIB.

If you are based outside Dublin, your spouse will need to book an appointment by emailing your local immigration office.

You and your spouse must attend the registration appointment together and you must bring the following documents with you:

  • Your original passport
  • Your current Irish Residence Permit card
  • Your child’s original Irish passport
  • Your child’s original birth certificate
  • Evidence of your address in Ireland
  • Evidence of the child’s address in the State (i.e. letter from doctor or school/creche)

We assist clients at who wish to submit applications as the parent of an Irish citizen child whether they have an alternative existing residence permission, whether they have no current residence in the State, whether they have received a proposal to deport letter, or whether they are have been issued with a Deportation Order.

Parent of Irish citizen child from non-visa required countries and who are not already in Ireland

If you are the parent of an Irish citizen child and you are from a non-visa required country, you can travel to Ireland on the 90-day visa waiver scheme and you must then register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) if based in Dublin, or with your local immigration office if based outside of Dublin, if you wish to stay in Ireland for longer than 90 days.

This registration must take place within the 90-days of arrival in Ireland.

If you are based in Dublin, your spouse will need to book an online appointment with GNIB.

If you are based outside Dublin, your spouse will need to book an appointment by emailing your local immigration office.

You and your Irish citizen child must attend the registration appointment together and you must bring the following documents with you:

  • Your original passport
  • Your child’s original Irish passport
  • Your child’s original birth certificate
  • Evidence of your address in Ireland

You will then be granted an Irish residence card for an initial 12-month period, which is renewable as long as the Irish citizen child is residing in the State.

Parent of Irish citizen child from visa required countries and who are not already in Ireland

If you are from a visa required country, you will need to apply for a long-stay D ‘reside parent of Irish citizen child’ visa before you can enter the country.

As part of the application, you will need to provide among other things documentary evidence of the financial and emotional role you are playing in the child’s life and explain why you and your Irish citizen child wish to reside in Ireland.

There is no automatic guarantee that you will be granted permission to reside in Ireland if the Irish citizen child has not been ordinarily resident in Ireland.

The long-stay D visa application is completed online initially and then the relevant supporting documents must be submitted to either the relevant Irish Embassy/Consulate or to the Visa office in Dublin. The completed online visa application form will confirm where your spouse/civil partner should submit the supporting documents. The original and supporting documents must be submitted within 30 days of the date of submission of the online visa application.

Processing times for visa applications vary but they can take approximately 8 months to process, although sometimes they are quicker.

If the visa application is refused, an explanation for the refusal must be given in writing and you have the right to appeal any refusal within two months of receiving the refusal letter.

If the long-stay D visa is approved, then you can travel to Ireland and once in Ireland, you will need to register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) if based in Dublin, or with your local immigration office if based outside of Dublin.

If you are based in Dublin, your spouse will need to book an online appointment with GNIB.

If you are based outside Dublin, your spouse will need to book an appointment by emailing your local immigration office.

You and your spouse must attend the registration appointment together and you must bring the following documents with you:

  • Your original passport
  • Your child’s original Irish passport
  • Your child’s original birth certificate
  • Evidence of your address in Ireland

You will then be granted an Irish residence card for an initial 12-month period, which is renewable as long as the Irish citizen child is residing in the State.

If you have any questions regarding Family Reunification contact Sinnott Solicitors Dublin and Cork today!

Family Reunification for non-EEA Elderly Dependent Parents of Irish citizen children

Elderly dependent parents of Irish citizen children may be eligible to be granted a Stamp 0 permission to reside in Ireland with their children. See here for further information on this process.

Family Reunification for family members of Critical Skills Employment Permit /Researchers/Stamp 4 previously on CSEP

The Non-EEA Policy Document of Family Reunification sets out the Irish government’s policy for bringing non-EEA family members to Ireland, including Non-EEA family members of persons on persons with a Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP), Researchers, and persons on Stamp 4 permission who were previously on CSEP.

The category of persons set out above can apply for immediate family reunification of their family members

These persons can sponsor their immediate family members (spouse and children under the age of 18, or up to 23 if in full-time education).

They may also sponsor their parents and other family members but a more restrictive approach is taken in these cases. See “Family Reunification for non-EEA elderly dependent parents of Irish citizen children” for more information on sponsoring non-EEA parents to Ireland.

In terms of financial resources, family reunification may take place prior to any earnings being accrued and the immigration status granted to the sponsor is such as to assume certain levels of income (e.g. Critical Skills Employment Permit holder or researcher) either immediately or in the future or on the basis that the sponsor falls into a category whose migration to Ireland is promoted as part of Government policy.

However, a sponsor must continue to meet the terms of the permission in order to maintain their own and the family’s entitlement to reside here and evidence of this must be provided by the sponsor at the time of the renewal of permission. In the case of Critical Skills Employment Permit holders and researchers this will include achieving the levels of earnings projected. For PhD students there are time limits applied to the study and academic progress must be demonstrated. This is in addition to the requirement that there be no recourse to social welfare payments.

Family members of CSEP holders and Researchers must apply to Immigration Service Delivery for pre-clearance prior to entry to the State, whether the family members are from visa-required countries or non-visa required countries.

Once approved, on arrival in Ireland the spouse or de-facto partner will be granted Stamp 1G permission without the need to obtain an employment permit, and will be allowed to work in the State.

If the family members are from visa-required countries, a long-stay D visa application must be completed online initially and then the relevant supporting documents must be submitted to either the relevant Irish Embassy/Consulate or to the Visa office in Dublin. The completed online visa application form will confirm where your spouse/civil partner should submit the supporting documents. The original and supporting documents must be submitted within 30 days of the date of submission of the online visa application.

Processing times for visa applications vary but they can take approximately 8 months to process, although sometimes they are quicker.

If the visa application is refused, an explanation for the refusal must be given in writing and you have the right to appeal any refusal within two months of receiving the refusal letter.

If the long-stay D visa is approved, then the spouse/ de-facto partner can travel to Ireland and once in Ireland, will need to register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) if based in Dublin, or with your local immigration office if based outside of Dublin.

If you are based in Dublin, your spouse/de-facto partner will need to book an online appointment with GNIB.

If you are based outside Dublin, your spouse/de-facto will need to book an appointment by emailing your local immigration office.

You and your spouse must attend the registration appointment together and you must bring the following documents with you:

  • Your original marriage/civil partnership certificate, if applicable
  • Your original passport
  • Your spouse/civil partner’s original passport
  • Original Critical Skills Employment Permit / Researcher Permit
  • Evidence of your joint address in Ireland

You will then be granted residence permission for an initial one year period, which is renewable as long as the marriage/ de-facto partnership is ongoing and CSEP/ Researcher permit holder is residing in the State.

We assist clients dealing with all aspects of Family Reunification.
Contact Sinnott Solicitors Dublin and Cork today to speak to one of our experts!

Family Reunification for family members of General Employment Permit and other Stamp 4 holders

The Non-EEA Policy Document of Family Reunification sets out the Irish government’s policy for bringing non-EEA family members to Ireland, including Non-EEA family members of persons on persons with a General Employment Permit (GEP), and Stamp 4 holders not covered by more favourable conditions (i.e. not previously in receipt of CSEP or Researcher permit).

The category of persons set out above, known as Category B sponsors, can apply for family reunification after one year’s residence in the State.

These persons can sponsor their immediate family members (spouse and children under the age of 18, or up to 23 if in full-time education).

They may also sponsor their parents and other family members but a more restrictive approach is taken in these cases. See “Family Reunification for non-EEA elderly dependent parents of Irish citizen children” for more information on sponsoring non-EEA parents to Ireland.

In terms of financial resources, Category B sponsors must have a gross income in each of the previous 2 years of at least €30,000 per annum in cases of couples where there are no children.

Families with children would require the following net incomes per week: 1 child – €511; 2 children – €612; 3 children – €713; 4 children – €834; and 5 Children – €960 per week.

Declared and verified savings by the applicant or sponsor may be taken into account in assessing cases which fall short of the income thresholds set out above. (A suggested approach would be to annualise the savings as income spread over a 5-10 year period).

These figures are for guideline purposes and represent a minimum financial requirement.

There is also the possibility of requesting that the Minister exercise her discretion to grant family reunification in cases that on the face of it do not appear to meet the requirements of the policy but the Applicant presents an exceptional set of circumstances, normally humanitarian, that would suggest a positive decision should be granted.

If the family members are from visa-required countries, a long-stay D visa application must be completed online initially and then the relevant supporting documents must be submitted to either the relevant Irish Embassy/Consulate or to the Visa office in Dublin. The completed online visa application form will confirm where your family member should submit the supporting documents. The original and supporting documents must be submitted within 30 days of the date of submission of the online visa application.

Processing times for visa applications vary but they can take approximately 8 months to process, although sometimes they are quicker.

If the visa application is refused, an explanation for the refusal must be given in writing and you have the right to appeal any refusal within two months of receiving the refusal letter.

If the long-stay D visa is approved, then the family member can travel to Ireland and once in Ireland, will need to register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) if based in Dublin, or with your local immigration office if based outside of Dublin.

If you are based in Dublin, your spouse/de-facto partner will need to book an online appointment with GNIB.

If you are based outside Dublin, your spouse/de-facto will need to book an appointment by emailing your local immigration office.

You and your spouse must attend the registration appointment together and you must bring the following documents with you:

  • Your original marriage/civil partnership certificate, if applicable
  • Your original passport
  • Your family member’s original passport
  • Original General Employment Permit / evidence of Stamp 4 permission
  • Evidence of your address in Ireland

You will then be granted residence permission for an initial one year period, which is renewable as long as the marriage/ de-facto partnership is ongoing and sponsor is residing in the State.

We assist clients at who wish to submit applications for their non-EEA members, whether they are on CSEP permits, GEP permits, or on Stamp 4 and whether the family member is from a visa required or non-visa required country.

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Sinnott Solicitors are located in Dublin & Cork