Ireland and Foreign Spouse

scoondle

After 11 months of marriage I haven't seen my wife since 3 October 2009 because of her difficulty obtaining visa to just visit me.
I understand that the state is clamping down on immigratnts coming here and living undocumented or scamming the system. And it is these people I blame for the situation we find ourselves in.
But here I find myself nearly 11 months later with no information. We have tried to do everything correctly but this was probably our mistake.
After our first application was rejected because I had not provided a sworn affidavitt that I would financially support my wife (EUR145.00) our second application was accepted by the Irish embassy on 21 June. They have kept my wife's passport since then and we have had no information whatsoever. Can they hold her passport for 9 weeks and give no acknowledgement or receipt that they have it ?
I have tried to be patient with the system but I gave up today and attempted to contact someone to check that the application is even in the system for consideration. But a recorded message told me to contact them by post.
And this shoddy treatment from a country that is supposed to value the family, according to the constitution. What a dump that I happened to be born in.

Elle Collins

scoondle wrote: »

After 11 months of marriage I haven't seen my wife since 3 October 2009 because of her difficulty obtaining visa to just visit me.
I understand that the state is clamping down on immigratnts coming here and living undocumented or scamming the system. And it is these people I blame for the situation we find ourselves in.

I'm glad to hear it, because they're the people at fault.

scoondle wrote: »

And this shoddy treatment from a country that is supposed to value the family, according to the constitution. What a dump that I happened to be born in.

I think you need to re-read your first quote above.

scoondle

Elle, if I understand you correctly, you think my wife and I should be included in the illegal immigrant category. Well, be assured that we are. We must prove our innocence to people who think we are trying a scam.
Many threads in this section talk about the "other person" in a relationship. Our other person is the Irish state. I want it to stop interfering in such a damaging way.

Elle Collins

scoondle wrote: »

Elle, if I understand you correctly, you think my wife and I should be included in the illegal immigrant category. Well, be assured that we are.

Not at all, that is not what I'm saying at all. What I'm saying is that there are people out there responsible for your predicament and they are not civil servants, they are the welfare tourists who draw the eye of suspicion on all foreign nationals coming here.

scoondle

Ok, it is just that you seemed to say that I had already answered my own question. I have no answers here. I am mystified why we are treated so badly.
But the immigration people are paid by ... us. I can't even ask them a question. And my wife is concerned because she does not have a passport. They are supposed to be a "service".

Wagon

Go to the relevent embassy, boot the door down and demand some bloody answers, or at least someone you can talk to. 9 weeks witholding a passport is a joke.

LegacyUser

What nationality is your wife?
Is she from a country that requires an entry visa?
Is her passport in the Irish Embassy of the country she is living in or is it with Immigration here in Ireland?
Has she visited here previously? Has she ever had problems with Immigration here or overstayed on a visit?
Have you the ability to support her if she comes to live here - ie are you working/ have means?
Is there a possibility of you spending time with her in her country for a visit while she is awaiting an outcome.

blairbear

I agree that you need to physically go to the embassy and find out what's going on, but why on earth can't you visit her in the meantime? That's nearly a year waiting to see her. Is there something restricting you from entering her country?

tinkerbell

scoondle wrote: »

After 11 months of marriage I haven't seen my wife since 3 October 2009 because of her difficulty obtaining visa to just visit me.

Well why don't you get up, catch a flight and go see her? What's the problem here? Go get a flight already.

We have tried to do everything correctly but this was probably our mistake.
After our first application was rejected because I had not provided a sworn affidavitt that I would financially support my wife (EUR145.00)

Well there you go - you never provided the sufficient info, no wonder they rejected your application. And no doubt got annoyed that you never bothered to supply all the info so put your application to the bottom of the list.

I have tried to be patient with the system but I gave up today and attempted to contact someone to check that the application is even in the system for consideration. But a recorded message told me to contact them by post.

Be proactive. If she's that important to you, you should be at the embassy or wherever it is you need to go, and ask for an explanation. There's no excuse for just sitting at home hoping that someone will answer the phone to you. It sounds to me like there's something odd about all this. If it were me and it was my husband who was trying to live here, I would be on to the authorities every single day, trying to get an answer. Why haven't you done this?

And this shoddy treatment from a country that is supposed to value the family, according to the constitution. What a dump that I happened to be born in.

Again, be proactive and quit moaning about it - get out there and do something about it.

Wisco

You might try another site www.immigrationboards.com- they have a section for Ireland where you might get good advice- also some good links there to immigration policy, etc, so you might find someone you can contact there.
Good luck, and I agree the Irish immigration situation is ridiculous.

Moomoo1

scoondle wrote: »

After 11 months of marriage I haven't seen my wife since 3 October 2009 because of her difficulty obtaining visa to just visit me.
I understand that the state is clamping down on immigratnts coming here and living undocumented or scamming the system. And it is these people I blame for the situation we find ourselves in.
But here I find myself nearly 11 months later with no information. We have tried to do everything correctly but this was probably our mistake.
After our first application was rejected because I had not provided a sworn affidavitt that I would financially support my wife (EUR145.00) our second application was accepted by the Irish embassy on 21 June. They have kept my wife's passport since then and we have had no information whatsoever. Can they hold her passport for 9 weeks and give no acknowledgement or receipt that they have it ?
I have tried to be patient with the system but I gave up today and attempted to contact someone to check that the application is even in the system for consideration. But a recorded message told me to contact them by post.
And this shoddy treatment from a country that is supposed to value the family, according to the constitution. What a dump that I happened to be born in.

You have just learned a very important lesson - NEVER trust the system with anything. These people serve the rich and the powerful and not you. All this stuff about 'people abusing the system' does NOT justify making you wait 11 months just because you forgot to submit a bit of paperwork. That's just excuses.

Anyone who has been through immigration knows what a slow, unfair and draconian system it is. Many people who have not been through it (and get their info from the trash press) do not realise it.

The solution? Go and vote for a party that would offer humane decent treatment to people like you and to immigrants. And convert others to your cause.