De Facto Relationships Ireland

CanadaEh

perfectblue wrote: »

hi all, i just wanted to add to this thread. i submitted my application on 25 April 2013, and received approval for Stamp 4 a couple of days ago. not sure if i'm an anomaly (am American, OH is Irish), but it essentially took a month for us. our application was a large binder with LOTS of pages (which we haven't gotten back yet).

Hi perfectblue,

Could you possibly give me a quick summary of how you organized your application? I'm literally in the midst of organizing mine and want to be sure I've included everything and it's easy to go through. Much appreciated!!

perfectblue

Hi CanadaEh,

Sure. I actually used post #69 (a few pages back) as a sort of checklist for my own visa. I've read a lot of posts here, and I notice that some people organize chronologically (mixing together all the different pieces of documentation), and others do it by type of documentation. We found it easier to do by type of documentation, with details written on the backs of pages/photos as necessary. I had a "cover sheet" for each section too, which detailed what was in each section (ie, wedding invite June 2013, thank you card April 2012, etc). And, I had descriptors of who people are and how they are related to us (ie, back of picture might say "Me with OH's nephew March 2012"). I even did those descriptors on the copies of cards we'd received. Might have been overkill, but a well-organized too-much is better than not enough!
Oh and each "cover sheet" had a tab on it too (in case anyone is wondering, I'm a project manager).
Since we never lived together (or even in the same country), I erred on the side of overkill. If you have documentation of living together, that would make it stronger, I think.

The full list (going from memory, as we haven't gotten it back yet):
I. Letter from both of us about how/when we met, who we've met from each other's lives, brief rundown of milestones, future plans/commitment, etc. Also some brief details of who I am (education, job, etc) and my boyfriend's work here, and how I'm supporting myself (so as not to be a burden on the State).
Also our UPC bill with my name on it.
II. Table of Contents
III. Timeline of our Relationship (more details on milestones)
IV. Letters from OH's sister, my brother, and my former boss
V. Info about me: CV, grad school transcript, passport pages, copy of my health insurance
VI. Info about OH: mortgage statement, passport pages
VII. 6 months of our bank statements (individual, we do not have a joint one)
VIII. Screenshot of OH's email folder with our correspondence (didn't include any actual emails)
IX. Photos (from trips, etc): cover sheet indicated # of photos from each visit with date, and then the back of each photo had date, location, and who is in it
X. Flight Details: Email confirmations of flights to see each other (and trips taken together)
XI. Facebook posts: screenshots of status updates, photos, etc, on Facebook (with dates, etc)
XII. Cards and Invites


Hope this helps! Happy to answer additional questions if needed. Good luck!

avm1599

To anyone who could be kind enough to help us out,

I am a non EEA partner of an Irish citizen. We have been given the "join partner visa" for me to enter Ireland. In order to get the join partner visa we had to provide an exhaustive list of documents similar to post #69.

Partner of Irish Citizen/Work Permit Holder/Green Card Holder and Persons Granted Long Term Residence

If you are:
the partner of an Irish Citizen in a long-term relationship that has existed for at least 2 years
or
the partner of a non-EEA national who is a Work Permit Holder/Green Card Holder or person Granted Long Term Residence in a long-term relationship that has existed for at least 4 years
or
a civil partner who has contracted a registered partnership, or is a party to a class of legal relationship specified in the Civil Partnership (Recognition of Registered Foreign Relationships) Order 2010 as entitled to be recognized as a civil partnership,
and
you wish to join your partner in Ireland or accompany them to Ireland, the following documents are required in order to have your application considered:
Fully complete the online application form, and submit your signed summary application form, photographs and fee (if applicable).

In addition to the signed summary application form, please also submit a signed letter of application
outlining your reason for coming to Ireland,
giving details of any members of your family who are currently in Ireland, or any other EU State.

Passport, valid for 12 months, and copy of previous passport if applicable. (If your passport is relatively new, it may assist your application if you provide your previous passport showing any previous visas for any other country, and your previous travel history)
If you have been refused a visa for any other country, details of this must be given. Submit the original letter issued to you by the authorities of that country. Concealment of visa refusals will result in your Irish visa application being refused.

A detailed statement of your bank account covering a six-month period immediately prior to your visa application, and showing sufficient funds to cover your costs

Evidence that you are lawfully resident in a country other than Ireland

Documentary evidence that will support the existence and durability of the relationship – e.g. Registration Certificate of partnership (if applicable) or evidence of common ownership of property, joint tenancy of property, on-going correspondence addressed to both partners at the same address, financial dependence/interdependence, or any other relevant documentation

A full account of relationship history – when and where you met, evidence of this such as visas, entry/exit stamps on the passport of your partner. Please note that for Immigration purposes it is not sufficient for a relationship to have developed solely over the internet or by telephone/sms. A relationship must include a number face to face meetings (excluding webcam) between the parties. You must satisfy the visa officer that the relationship is bona-fide.

Clear copy of spouse’s passport, or documentary evidence attesting to spouse's Irish citizenship.

Evidence of how your partner will support you financially – e.g. P60, payslips, bank statement for 6 months prior to application

Private Medical Insurance.

Given that the embassy of Ireland in my home country granted me this visa (expiry date 22/08/13), on arrival in Ireland i would need to register with the local Garda to get the stamp 3, while the application we submit with the INIS gets processed.

My query is: #1 now that the Embassy has acknowledged our relationship as genuine and granted me the visa, what time frame could we expect to be waiting while our application is under processing?

#2 would i be permitted to take up volunteer work while we are waiting for our application to be processed?

#3 would it take longer for the stamp4 to be approved given that we already waited 8 weeks to get the 'join partner visa'?

As we have been unsuccessful in getting any academic response from the INIS, we would highly appreciate if anyone could throw some light on our situation as time is of the essence.

Ronnygenius

Any one with some news today?? am actually giving up with the long wait .... Applied last year in December.... I wrote to them two weeks ago enquiring about the status of my application. They replied back to me acknowledging they have received my post and they would like me to provide a proof of medical insurance which i did send them my copies of VHI.
Thought they will get back to me soon once i furnish them with the requested documents .... But no reply yet :-(

flynnme

About a year and a half ago my partner and I were granted a De Facto waiver (I'm non-EEA and he is Irish). It was a long wait for the approval, and my deepest sympathies for those of you going through it as it took over 3-4 months for us and we were a textbook case with loads of proof. But we have been living and working together in Ireland since then with no hassle, including the 1 year renewal.

However, lately there has been a lot of questions arising about what exactly the legal status of our relationship is. Is there any kind of legal status to a De Facto relationship, aside from a right to remain?

For example, my work offers health insurance to spouses, but will not cover him. Is this legal? Or I am filling out paperwork to determine my fee status in potential post-graduate work, and have difficulty defining what box to tick. Am I single, non-EEA national, or spouse to EEA-national? We're not married, but not exactly single either. For all intents and purposes am I an Irish resident?

I would appreciate any advice from people who are going through this as well. It seems like a lot of work to go through to come out of it still not knowing what protections you do and don't have.

Bb2013

Hi everyone, I applied to De Facto Relationship on the 20th of May and I am still waiting for an answer. I am non-EEU and bf is irish. Anyone there that Applied about the same period and got it already? Thanks!

Ronnygenius

Applied mine last year in December and got an approval last week ....

Bb2013

Ronnygenius wrote: »

Applied mine last year in December and got an approval last week ....

Were you working during this time?

avm1599

Bb2013 wrote: »

Hi everyone, I applied to De Facto Relationship on the 20th of May and I am still waiting for an answer. I am non-EEU and bf is irish. Anyone there that Applied about the same period and got it already? Thanks!

Hi.. Would you be kind enough to mail me the details of the application process..

Ronnygenius

Wasn't allowed to work at that period of time

Bb2013

avm1599 wrote: »

Hi.. Would you be kind enough to mail me the details of the application process..

What do you want to know?

Riat

Hi,

I want to know how to write letter explaining relationship ,what is letter format and how to proceed with letter for family and friends ,if I get template how to present it ,I will be glad,it been tough to start with,if we are describing about our relationship we need to request for ant stamps or just go on describing it,hope you to hear from you all .Thanks

Bb2013

Riat wrote: »

Hi,

I want to know how to write letter explaining relationship ,what is letter format and how to proceed with letter for family and friends ,if I get template how to present it ,I will be glad,it been tough to start with,if we are describing about our relationship we need to request for ant stamps or just go on describing it,hope you to hear from you all .Thanks

I started my letter saying who I am, who is my boyfriend and what I am applying for.

Then I said what I have been doing since Im in Ireland, why did I come to Ireland, Where have a been studying and working and Then I wrote about the relationship.

I started saying where we met, how we started to date, when I met his family, saying in chronological order, trips we did together, family parties we went, when he met my family, etc.. and then I said what are our plans together.

Then I stated all the documents attached to proof everything I said.

And that was it!

Bb2013

I was wondering about the Form EU1 where you can find online, Did everybody send it as well? Because I didnt and just found this form this week and I was wondering if to sent it now or not. I sent my application in May but still no answer!

Riat

Bb2013 wrote: »

I started my letter saying who I am, who is my boyfriend and what I am applying for.

Then I said what I have been doing since Im in Ireland, why did I come to Ireland, Where have a been studying and working and Then I wrote about the relationship.

I started saying where we met, how we started to date, when I met his family, saying in chronological order, trips we did together, family parties we went, when he met my family, etc.. and then I said what are our plans together.

Then I stated all the documents attached to proof everything I said.

And that was it!

Thanks ,is their possible to write letter ourselfs for his and my family and friend or they should write one ,I was thinking we write letters for them and take their signature ,if we don't provide parents letters it will be draw back ,in some cases if their are busy and we didn't received their letters ,we can proceed with letters we received to submit ,hope to hear from you soon,thanks a lot

ggn

Does anyone know if the fee (300 euro) for GNIB is applied for facto relationship as well?

Bb2013

There is no fees.

kenno83

Hi just a quick question. Me (Irish) and my Mexican GF have applied last week so now were playing the waiting game. Sent in a nice big folder with all sorts of stuff from our relationship and signed letters etc.

Her situation is, she has a current student visa for Ireland until end of October so she is entitled to work part time based on that visa. She is telling me that she heard that you can not leave the country while your application is being processed. Now I imagine this cannot be the case as her current visa allows her to travel in the EU freely. I ask because were going to Malta on our holidays in September and would be sickened if we couldn't go.

Ive read through the INIS website and have got no info in this regard. Does anyone have any experience of this?

Ronnygenius

I think she can travel so long as her current student visa is valid.... I travelled two times while my de facto application was being processed. But once her visa expires then she can't travel as they won't allow her back

kenno83

Yeah that's what I had presumed. Surely the status of her current visa and rights enjoyed therefrom obviously don't change by virtue of applying for de facto status.

Thanks

rian_dublin

Hi,

My girlfriend (Brazil) and I (Irish) are planning on applying for the De Facto visa. We are together 2 years and are confident we can put a good case of evidences together. Our main concerns relate to the fact that she is a) not currently in the country (although she has spent 6 years in total in Ireland on student visas) and b) we both had planned on volunteering abroad towards the end of the year (for up to a year). So the main questions we have that I would be very grateful if someone could answer are:

1) Can we apply if my girlfriend is out of the country? I assume GNIB would know this based on the fact there is no current/valid visa in her passport pages? Is this the type of thing they check for?

2) If an application is approved, how long do we have to bring the approval letter to a Garda Station to receive the Stamp 4? i.e. if we receive the approval letter in September and we are out of the country, can we wait until we are back in Ireland in December to get the stamp?

Thanks in advance for any help

yami1686

Hey very useful thread!
our situation is slightly different, so was hoping to hear from any of you that may have similar situations.

My bf (Irish) and I (non-EEA) have been together for over 4 years. We live in Belgium, and have been living together for about 3.5 years. We both work full time and have a 'legal cohabitation' (Belgian equivalent to de facto relationship).
Now, is there a way to simply transfer our status to Ireland?
We are hoping to move back in the next year, but it would be extremely difficult for me to have to stay for any period of time longer than a month or two without working!

Can this process be started from abroad?

Thank you for all your help

perfectblue

yami1686 wrote: »

Hey very useful thread!
our situation is slightly different, so was hoping to hear from any of you that may have similar situations.

My bf (Irish) and I (non-EEA) have been together for over 4 years. We live in Belgium, and have been living together for about 3.5 years. We both work full time and have a 'legal cohabitation' (Belgian equivalent to de facto relationship).
Now, is there a way to simply transfer our status to Ireland?
We are hoping to move back in the next year, but it would be extremely difficult for me to have to stay for any period of time longer than a month or two without working!

Can this process be started from abroad?

Thank you for all your help

As far as I know, the Irish de facto relationship status is a strictly Irish thing (not EU) so you would have to apply. Presumably you could include some official info about your status in Belgium to strengthen your case.

I believe the visa is actually "permission to remain", so the stamp in the passport that indicates date of arrival is very relevant (which is to say, no I don't think you can apply from abroad, but others might disagree).

However, I applied knowing that less than 2 months later I would be leaving the country on a short trip (that turned into a longer trip for work reasons). My plan was to tell immigration on my way back in that I had this application pending, left the country to visit family/do work, etc (I would show them the letter showing the pending app). But I ended up getting my approval before I left, so it was a moot point. In any case, I do think that you can leave the country. I also find immigration to be very relaxed, so not sure it matters too much to them.

perfectblue

rian_dublin wrote: »

Hi,

2) If an application is approved, how long do we have to bring the approval letter to a Garda Station to receive the Stamp 4? i.e. if we receive the approval letter in September and we are out of the country, can we wait until we are back in Ireland in December to get the stamp?

Thanks in advance for any help

My approval letter states that I need to get my Stamp 4 as soon as possible (we went about 10 days later). However, the expiration on the stamp and my registration card are both based on the date of approval in the letter, not the date I went to get the stamp.
The letter also states that the approval is based on my "continuous residence in the State" defined as "living in the State for the period covered by this temporary permission to remain, allowing for reasonable periods of absence..."
So you might want to consider the timing of getting the stamp and then going away for a year.

SEEMagazine

Speaking to your local Embassy should always be the first thing you do. I've found my own to be of great assistance when trying to navigate a mountain of paperwork...what looked like a lost cause back in June has now been salvaged and wedding bells will be ringing just over 3 weeks from now.

Embassies, they will tell you themselves, are there to help in whatever way they can, and in instances where they cannot render direct assistance then they will likely be able to point you in the right direction.

perfectblue

SEEMagazine wrote: »

Speaking to your local Embassy should always be the first thing you do. I've found my own to be of great assistance when trying to navigate a mountain of paperwork...what looked like a lost cause back in June has now been salvaged and wedding bells will be ringing just over 3 weeks from now.

Embassies, they will tell you themselves, are there to help in whatever way they can, and in instances where they cannot render direct assistance then they will likely be able to point you in the right direction.

One would expect this to be true, and I'm glad you had a good experience, but I've had the opposite experience. On more than one occasion, an embassy has given me incorrect information that either resulted in denial of a visa/permission to remain, exorbitant fines, or general headaches later with immigration. If the embassy can put you in touch with someone from immigration or the justice ministry itself, that can be useful. But embassies are in a different part of the government, and they don't always have the most recent information.

SEEMagazine

Ok, I'm also in a position, professionally speaking, to approach high levels of Government directly in search of information - but it's important to talk with the 'local' staff within the Embassy, the Belgians for instance who work in the Irish Embassy in Brussels, etc, as they will be more familiar with Belgian law than the Irish staff.

I've also found, here in Croatia, that if your native homeland has implemented quotas on Croatian workers that you're in for a world of hurt regarding paperwork. If the country your OH is from has good relations with Ireland then that would help...

perfectblue

SEEMagazine wrote: »

Ok, I'm also in a position, professionally speaking, to approach high levels of Government directly in search of information - but it's important to talk with the 'local' staff within the Embassy, the Belgians for instance who work in the Irish Embassy in Brussels, etc, as they will be more familiar with Belgian law than the Irish staff.

That I would agree with. I see no reason why Irish embassy workers would be experts on Belgian law - their job is to know Irish law (economics, culture, customs, etc).

yami1686

perfectblue wrote: »

As far as I know, the Irish de facto relationship status is a strictly Irish thing (not EU) so you would have to apply. Presumably you could include some official info about your status in Belgium to strengthen your case.

I believe the visa is actually "permission to remain", so the stamp in the passport that indicates date of arrival is very relevant (which is to say, no I don't think you can apply from abroad, but others might disagree).

However, I applied knowing that less than 2 months later I would be leaving the country on a short trip (that turned into a longer trip for work reasons). My plan was to tell immigration on my way back in that I had this application pending, left the country to visit family/do work, etc (I would show them the letter showing the pending app). But I ended up getting my approval before I left, so it was a moot point. In any case, I do think that you can leave the country. I also find immigration to be very relaxed, so not sure it matters too much to them.

So in your experience, you applied and were approved within 2 months? Is this the normal waiting time? When I called the hotline, the man on the phone told me it would take about 6 months, and we would need to have a lease, health insurance, and all that settled before we applied.

perfectblue

yami1686 wrote: »

So in your experience, you applied and were approved within 2 months? Is this the normal waiting time? When I called the hotline, the man on the phone told me it would take about 6 months, and we would need to have a lease, health insurance, and all that settled before we applied.

I was also told 6 months. I did some searching around when I applied and the time seemed to vary from 2-6 months. I think it is very case-by-case and also dependent on how many applications they have in. Presumably summer holidays might also have an effect?

I think previously in this thread I listed all the things I included, which include the things you were told about. Keep in mind this is permission to remain on the basis of a durably attested long-term commitment. It isn't the same as a student or work visa.. So yes, definitely have everything in order that would indicate this commitment before you apply.