Irish Family Visas
If your relative is an Irish citizen, you might be able to join them in Ireland using an Irish Family Visa. Find out more about eligibility requirements and the application process.
To receive assistance with your application for the Irish Family Visa, call our lawyers today on 0333 305 9375.
What is the Irish Join Family Visa?
The Join Family Visa is intended for non-EEA citizens who want to come to Ireland to join their family member and stay in the country for more than 90 days. For you to be able to come to Ireland under the Join Family Visa, your Irish relative has to agree to become your sponsor. Moreover, you need to meet a number of eligibility requirements and go through an application process that can be complex if you do not hire an immigration lawyer.
The Irish Join Family Visa is a Long Stay ‘D’ Visa, which means that successful applicants can stay in Ireland for more than 3 months.
If you are a citizen of an EU/EEA country, or a citizen of Switzerland, you do not need a visa to move to Ireland. To enter the country you simply need to show your passport or national id. Once in Ireland you can work and study without having to obtain an employment permit first.
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What Irish Family Visas are there?
To be able to join your Irish family member in Ireland, you have to apply for the Join Family Long Stay ‘D’ Visa but there are several visas that are a part of it. These are:
- Spouse/Civil Partner Visa
- De Facto Partner Visa
- Adult Dependent Visa
- Child Dependent Visa
- Dependent of a Critical Skills Employment Permit Holder Visa.
When applying for the Join Family Long Stay ‘D’ Visa you have to specify which of these routes you want to use.
Irish citizens do not have the automatic rights to bring their non-EEA family members to Ireland so if you want to join them, you have to apply for an immigration permission prior to arriving in Ireland.
If you are not sure which visa is the right one for you, get in touch with our lawyers. They will analyse your circumstances and will help you choose the most adequate permit.
What are the requirements for the Irish Family Visa?
To be able to receive the Irish Family Visa, you have to meet the following general eligibility requirements:
- You are related to a person who is an Irish citizen or is lawfully living in Ireland
- You have a valid passport
- You can provide evidence showing that your relative has the right to live in Ireland
- Your relative in Ireland has agreed to become your sponsor
- Your relatives have enough money to support you financially after you join them in Ireland.
Depending on the route you choose to apply for the Join Family Visa there might be additional requirements that you need to meet. For example, if you are applying as a spouse or civil partner, you have to prove that your relationship is genuine and that you intend to stay together after you arrive in Ireland.
As part of the application process you have to submit evidence showing that you meet the eligibility requirements. Our lawyers can help you gather all the documents and prepare a complete portfolio of evidence with all the documents that might be needed.
How to apply for an Irish Family Visa?
The first step of the application process for the Irish Family Visa requires you to submit an online application form where you provide personal details and explain what the purpose of your immigration to Ireland is.
Once you submit the form, you will see a web page with your application summary sheet. From the page you can find out where to send your supporting documents to. There, you can also find a number needed to track the progress in the processing of your application.
The next step is to pay your visa application fee, which depends on whether you are applying for a single-entry or a multiple-entry visa. If you want to receive the single entry permit, the fee is €60. For a multiple-entry one, you have to pay €100, however.
Then you have to gather all the required documents and send them to the right immigration office for processing.
How long you will have to wait to receive the decision depends on the complexity of your case and on your sponsor’s immigration status. If they are an Irish national, you should hear back within 6 months. If, however, your sponsor comes from a non-EEA country but is lawfully living in Ireland, the processing can take up to 12 months.
What documents do I have to include in the Irish Family Visa application?
When applying for the Irish Family Visa, you have to submit the following supporting documents:
- Printed, signed, and dated application summary sheet
- Signed application letter in which you explain why you want to come to Ireland and you provide your personal details and those of your sponsor
- Valid passport
- Two passport size photographs
- Receipt confirming that you paid the visa application fee
- Proof confirming your relationship with the Irish sponsor
- Evidence showing that your sponsor has enough money to support you financially after you join them in Ireland
- Details of your accommodation in Ireland.
All documents you submit have to be originals and they will be returned to you after immigration officers review them. Any documents that were issued in a language that is not English have to be translated by an official translator.
How can IAS help?
Our team of highly-qualified immigration lawyers is committed to helping people reunite with their families living abroad. By entrusting us with your application for the Irish Family Visa, you can be sure that it has been completed to the highest standard.
Our lawyers can help you complete your application and gather all the required documents. They will answer any questions you might have and talk you through each step of the application process. Regardless of which Irish Family Visa route you want to use, our lawyers can assist.
Thanks to their guidance, you can be sure that you have done everything correctly. This way you can maximise your chances of a positive outcome.
Call us today on 0333 305 9375 to find out more about how our lawyers can help.
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Related pages for your continued reading.
Frequently Asked Questions
Having a sponsor in Ireland is an important requirement of the Irish Family Visa. Unfortunately, it is not possible to apply for it without a sponsor.
Individuals who can become your sponsor include:
- Irish citizens
- Citizens of EU/EEA countries who are living in Ireland
- Non-EU/EEA citizens who are in Ireland on an employment permit
- Foreign citizen living in Ireland on Stamp 4 or Stamp 5
- PhD students enrolled in an Irish accredited programme
- Researchers who came to Ireland under a Hosting Agreement.
Your sponsor has to have enough money to support you financially after you arrive in Ireland.
If your application for the Irish Family Visa is unsuccessful, you will receive a letter explaining the reasons for the decision. You should go over them with your lawyer and, if you believe that the rejection is not justified, you can appeal the decision.
Our immigration lawyers can explain to you in detail how you can submit an appeal to the Department of Justice and Equality. It is not uncommon for applications to be accepted after the process.
As part of the application process, you have to submit proof confirming your family relationship with the person in Ireland. The exact documents you have to include depend on the route you are using to apply for the Irish Family Visa. For example, if you are applying as a spouse, you should submit a marriage certificate. If you are applying as a child of the Irish sponsor, you can include a birth certificate.
Your immigration lawyer can analyse your circumstances and tell you what documents you should prepare.
If you fail to include some of the supporting documents, an immigration official might request additional evidence. If that happens, the processing of your application will be put on hold until you submit them. Sometimes, however, your application might be rejected right away. Hence, you should contact an immigration lawyer prior to submitting your application. They will go over it to make sure that there are no mistakes and that all supporting documents have been included.