With effect from the 1st of June 2016, a new application form has been introduced in relation to applications for permission to remain in the state as the spouse/civil partner of an Irish national.

The application form [embedded below] should be used in all future applications for permission to reside in the state on this basis.

Sinnott Solicitors have been advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service that the purpose of introducing the application form is to enable the Spouse of Irish National Unit to function more effectively, with the anticipation of a reduction in the processing time of applications.

Ireland Spouse Visa Processing Times

We have posted previously concerning the delays with these family visas.  The current average processing time is 6 to 9 months.

The form states that a decision will be taken on an application no later than 12 months from the date of receipt of a fully completed application form, so it remains to be seen whether the new application process will speed up the processing times.

As a result of the new in-depth application form, the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service have decided to increase the standard initial permission granted in such applications from 12 to 36 months.

In line with this they have indicated their intention to perform spot checks on numerous cases during this period to ensure that their circumstances are in line with the terms upon which they were granted permission to remain in the state. We understand that these cases will be randomly selected from the INIS database and the strategy will be introduced in 2017.

The application form for permission to remain in the state as the spouse/civil partner of an Irish national is embedded below or can be downloaded here [PDF].

If you require assistance with your application for permission to remain in the state as the spouse/civil partner of an Irish national do not hesitate to contact Sinnott Solicitors today on +35314062862 or use the enquiry form here.

 

SOIN Application Form