Visa to study and work in Ireland

tonedef

@Mods - I couldn't find a better place to start this thread but if there's a more suitable forum then feel free to move it

I have a South American friend who is looking to come to Ireland to study and work. She applied for a visa about 3 months ago and hasn't heard anything back yet even though the Department of Foreign Affairs website says these visa applications are processed in 6 to 8 weeks so does anyone know how long these applications are actually taking these days?

Also, my friend is half-Irish so does that open any extra options in terms of getting a visa to come here?

Cheers!!

blubloblu

What do you mean by half Irish? Is one of their parents Irish? Then they're an Irish citizen.

tonedef

Yeah her father is Irish but she wasn't born here and wasn't registered as an Irish citizen at the time of her birth.

Is it still possible for her to get an Irish passport now?
She is of the understanding that it isn't.

lonestargirl

It's the circumstance of her birth that make her a citizen or not. Registering at the consulate is simply proof of that fact.

Were her parents married when she was born?
Is her father's name on her birth cert?

Details on how to apply for citizenship by descent can be found here.

dory

If one of her parents are Irish then it shouldn't be complicated. She's entitled to an Irish passport as far as I know.

tonedef

Thanks for the info folks, I'll be sure to pass it on

munchkin_utd

heres the relevant info

I looked it up just out of interest as figuring out passport entitlements is an interesting subject to me!
I have a British born mother and US born grandfather and am entitled to neither passport.
My daughter was born in Germany, has now an Irish passport, but can also get a German one so long as she applies before shes 18.

Proof of Citizenship

If born in Ireland on or before 31 December 2004 -
and applying for your first Irish passport or renewing your passport if under 18 years of age – you require to submit the long form of your Irish State birth certificate which shows the names of your parents. If you are renewing your passport and are over 18 years of age you only need to submit your expired passport.

If born on or after 1 January 2005 please see the citizenship notice here.
In summary, this notice advises that any application for a child born in Ireland since 1 January 2005, in addition to the child’s long form birth certificate, you must also submit the long form birth certificate of one of his/her Irish parents or proof of reckonable residence if parents are not Irish citizens.

If born outside Ireland to a parent born on the island of Ireland
the form of your civil birth certificate which shows the names of your parents (the long form) and
the long form civil birth certificate of your Irish born parent and, if applicable, your parents’ civil marriage certificate.

If neither of your parents was born in Ireland but you can claim Irish Citizenship by descent:
your Certificate of Entry in the Foreign Births Register issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the long form of your civil birth certificate.

http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=254#citizenship