Long Stay ‘D’ Visas Ireland

What is the Long Stay Visa in Ireland?

A Long Stay ‘D’ Visa allows successful applicants to stay in Ireland for more than 90 days to work, study, or live with a family member.

If you are a British citizens, you do not need a visa to enter or live in Ireland, regardless of the duration of your stay. This is due to the Common Travel Area (CTA) agreement between the UK and Ireland. If you’re living in the UK but hold a different nationality, your situation depends on your citizenship and immigration status.

There are different types of Long Stay Visas, and they all have different visa requirements. You must apply for the one that best suits your circumstance.

The types of Long Stay visas for Ireland are outlined below.

Study Visa

This visa permits you to stay and study in Ireland for over 3 months. To obtain a Long Stay Study Visa, you must be enrolled in a full-time program listed on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes provided by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS).

The Study Visa category has strict requirements that you must meet. You must provide evidence of:

• Acceptance letter from your school, college, or university in Ireland
• Proof of your academic records in your course. This includes past certifications, qualifications, and exam results
• Proof that your course is full-time and has at least 15 study hours per week
• Proof of your English language skills, unless you’re coming to learn English
• Receipt of full payment of your tuition fees
• Proof of maintenance funds. You need at least €10,000 for your first year
• Proof that you or your sponsor can meet the financial requirements for subsequent years of study.
• Proof of private medical insurance
• Proof of home ties, showing that you’ll return home after your course in Ireland
• If you are going to study a course that is not related to your previous education history, you will have to provide an explanation for that.

Join Family Visa

You’ll apply for a Join Family Long Stay D Visa is an irish family visa that you’ll apply for if you want to join your spouse, partner, or other family members in Ireland for more than 3 months. The family member in Ireland becomes your sponsor, and it doesn’t matter if they are Irish-born or not.

Your sponsor will petition on your behalf. However, your admission into the country majorly depends on satisfying the Irish immigration officer at the border.

There are different visa types under the Join Family category. They include visas for Spouse, Dependent Child or Dependent Adult, Civil Partner, and De Facto Partner. To apply for any of these Join Family visas, you have to provide the following supporting documents proving that this is .

• Details of your sponsor and any additional relatives in Ireland
• A notarized statement of your reasons for relocating to Ireland
• Details of any other EU family members
• Copy of your sponsor’s Irish passport, residency, and citizenship. Alternatively, you can present an Employment Permit or any other proof of settlement and residency.
• Documented proof of a pre-existing relationship with a family member. The type of proof to provide depends on the Join Family visa type.
• Proof of applicant’s and sponsor’s financial capability. This will include copies of bank statements from the last six months and documentation of the applicant’s or sponsor’s income in the country.

Employment Visa

This visa is for those coming to work in Ireland. However, you must first acquire an employment permit from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (DJEI) before you can qualify. There are nine types of Irish employment permits, and they include:

• Critical Skills Employment Permit
• Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permit
• Exchange Agreement Employment Permit
• Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit
• Contract for Services Employment Permit
• Sport & Cultural Employment Permit
• General Employment Permit
• Reactivation Employment Permit
• Internship Employment Permit

It’s not very easy to acquire an Irish employment permit because of the wage limits. For example, you may need to earn €34,000 or more to earn a general employment permit. To qualify for a job requiring key abilities, you may need to earn at least €64,000, and so on.

General requirements for an Irish Long Stay employment visa include:

• Proof of employment contract
• A letter from your Irish employer confirming your job and income
• Qualifications and work experience
• Bank statement of the past 6th months

Volunteer Visa

The Long Stay Volunteer Visa is available to those who wish to volunteer in Ireland for more than 90 days. This visa allows you to volunteer with a qualified organization and stay in Ireland for up to 1 year, with the option of extending to 2 years.

You can also change your volunteer organization once every 12 months. However, you cannot engage in paid work, depend on state benefits or public services, bring family members to Ireland, or change your immigration status. Also, you can’t spend more than two years in Ireland volunteering.

The Long Stay Volunteer Visa has the following requirements:

• You must be 18 or older
• You must not be an EU/EEA or Swiss national
• You must have a volunteer role offer from an approved organization
• You must be qualified to do your volunteer duties.
• Proof that the organization you are volunteering for will financially support you throughout your stay
• You must be of good moral character.
• Clearance if your volunteer role involves working with children or vulnerable individuals
• You must have an insurance policy covering expenses for medical treatments from an authorized Irish company for the duration of your stay

Sectors you can volunteer include:

• Arts, tradition, and culture
• Religious and spiritual activities
• Health services
• Youth and education services; outside of school
• Sport and recreation
• Community service and welfare

Minister of Religion Visa

A Minister of religion visa is available to those coming to Ireland to work for an eligible religious body or faith community. The visa allows you to stay in Ireland for up to 3 years, and you can extend for another 3 years.

This visa requires preclearance, and you must provide a letter of invitation from the religious body or faith community. The letter must show that:

• The applicant has a demonstrable need
• He is qualified to execute his duties and responsibilities
• He has a clean police record
• He is cleared to deal with children and adults at risk
• That the religious body or faith group has kid protection policies
• That religious body or faith group would financially support the applicant during their stay in Ireland.

In addition, the following documents are required:

• Proof of financial support from sponsoring organization in Ireland
• Applicant’s past six months bank statements
• Sponsor’s six-month audited accounts
• Proof of qualification
• Proof of a minimum 3 years experience as a Minister of Religion
• Police Clearance
• Previous visa refusals or deportations, if any
• Proof of medical/travel insurance

Generally Required Documents for Ireland Long Stay Visa

When applying for an Ireland long-stay visa, you must have the following documents:

• Signed online application form summary
• Valid international passport
• Two passport-sized photographs that meet Irish visa standards
• Your passport.
• Previous passport copies, if available
• Details of previous visa refusals, if any
• An application letter stating your reason for visiting Ireland and other information that are specific to your visa category
• Proof of sufficient funds
• Proof of medical insurance

The above are generally required documents. You still have to submit other documents that are specific to your visa category. Notably, you must send original documents.

The documents should be in English or come with certified English translations. You should only proceed with the application if you’re sure you meet all requirements and have complete documentation.

Long Stay ‘D’ Visa Cost for Ireland

The general cost for applying for Irish visas include:

• Single-entry visa fee: €60
• Multi-entry visa fee: €100
• Preclearance fees
• Consular fees (if applicable)

However, the total cost of a Long Stay ‘D’ visa depends on the category and sub-route you are applying for.

For instance, the employment-based category has various sub-routes with different application costs.

The embassy or consulate will inform you of all payments you must make.

Long Stay ‘D’ Visa Application Process

To start with, you have to apply for your long-stay visa online via the Online Irish Visa Application Service, AVATS. Print out the summary form after filling out and submitting your application.

You’ll get a notification on where to send the relevant documents. The location will depend on your country but is most likely an Irish visa or consulate in your country or an international visa application agency.

You must submit all supporting documents within 30 days of creating your AVATS application. If your visa is approved, you also must bring them all to Ireland.

You can travel to Ireland once you have your long-stay visa. Once there, you must go through Border Control and request permission to stay. The immigration officer will inspect your visa, passport, and other relevant documentation.

If the immigration officer approves your request, they will stamp your passport with the number of days you can stay in Ireland.

Upon arrival in Ireland, you must register with immigration and apply for an Irish residence permit before your stay expires. You can do this by making an appointment at any immigration office close to you. You can book up to 10 weeks in advance.

How can IAS help?

The Immigration Advice Service offers a plethora of packages for you to choose from. Each service can be tailored to meet your unique circumstances.

By entrusting the IAS with your Irish Visa application, your immigration consultant will assess whether you meet the requirements and will even fill your application to the highest standard on your behalf if you opt for IAS’ comprehensive Application Package service.

You may decide to opt for an Advice Session first. In this face-to-face or over the phone meeting, your immigration specialist will talk you through your circumstances, whether you meet the eligibility requirements and which documents you need to submit as evidence.

If your immigration query is urgent and you need to receive entry clearance and your visa into Ireland before a deadline, such as attending a wedding or graduation, IAS offers a Fast-Track Application Package. This will make your application a top priority, and will ensure that your application is watertight and fulfilled to an exceptionally high standard.

Others, however, prefer to have a simple Document Check. In this service, your IAS immigration expert in Ireland will assess your evidential proof that accompanies your visa application for you and will tell you if you need to submit anything else.

Call us today on +44 (0)333 414 9244 or +353 (0) 61 518 025 to see how we can help you. By enlisting the help of an IAS immigration expert instead of an immigration lawyer, our client care team will help you and match you with an accredited immigration professional based on your circumstances. You may also choose to meet your consultant face-to-face, over the phone or via video call.