Residency for non-EU citizen -- how difficult?

Siuin

I'm seeking to bring my boyfriend to Ireland, but am wondering how difficult this will be, as he is a non-EU citizen. We met in his home country, but due to safety issues, I would rather that we settle down here instead, with a view to getting married eventually. He works in the IT sector, and will have 6 years work experience in programming by the time he will come to Ireland, so finding a job isn't a concern at the moment.

I'm just wondering- how difficult is the process of applying for residency and a work permit for someone such as him? What would be the most practical way of going about this?

Many thanks for any replies!

dermot_sheehan

You might have better feedback on the irish section of www.immigrationboards.com

In a nutshell your boyfriend would need a work permit which would be difficult to get at the moment.

marco_polo

He will need to obtain a job offer before applying for a work permit. Once secured he or the employer needs to applies for a work permit (Most HR departments will take care of this part). With 6 years software engineering experience and the chronic shortages in the IT sector here I would think the his chances of success are fairly reasonable.

All the information you need can be found here:

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/migrant_workers/employment_permits/work_permits.html

blueythebear

Siuin wrote: »

I'm seeking to bring my boyfriend to Ireland, but am wondering how difficult this will be, as he is a non-EU citizen. We met in his home country, but due to safety issues, I would rather that we settle down here instead, with a view to getting married eventually. He works in the IT sector, and will have 6 years work experience in programming by the time he will come to Ireland, so finding a job isn't a concern at the moment.

I'm just wondering- how difficult is the process of applying for residency and a work permit for someone such as him? What would be the most practical way of going about this?

Many thanks for any replies!

You're going to have a tough time obtaining residency for him. A Work Permit is out of the question at the moment. If he's College Educated, you could try an application for a Green Card but again, that'll be tough in the current climate.

If you've been in a relationship for over two years, you could look at a de facto visa for him but proving the existence of the relationship is quite difficult. It would be easier if you lived together in his country.

One other issue is if he is a visa required national. If he is not visa required, things would be a bit simpler for you both.

Siuin

Thanks a million for all the answers!

I have lived with him, but only on and off because he has a contract which stops him from travelling except in limited circumstances for the next 2 years and I'm a full time student, so I don't think it would be sufficient. I would think his chances of getting work in Ireland would be pretty good- although he is not college educated, he was trained by the army and has gotten awards for the work he has done on their behalf. He also speaks 3 languages fluently, which may be useful to him. He isn't a visa required national.

How much easier would this whole process be if I just married him now? :S

blueythebear

Siuin wrote: »

Thanks a million for all the answers!

I have lived with him, but only on and off because he has a contract which stops him from travelling except in limited circumstances for the next 2 years and I'm a full time student, so I don't think it would be sufficient. I would think his chances of getting work in Ireland would be pretty good- although he is not college educated, he was trained by the army and has gotten awards for the work he has done on their behalf. He also speaks 3 languages fluently, which may be useful to him. He isn't a visa required national.

How much easier would this whole process be if I just married him now? :S

It would be easier if you married him alright but obviously, that's not a reason to get married.

Without a 3rd level education, the Green Card route is closed to him pretty much. Applying for work permits in this country at the moment are pointless, unless he can find a suitably skilled job that requires English and another language. I think Google hire alot of bilingual foreign nationals in the IT area so that would be worth checking out.

If he can't find work, he could always just come here as he is not visa required and then seek permission to remain based on your relationship if you live together.

Siuin

Many thanks blueythebear - I know of a few people from the same country as him who have secured jobs in google and IBM, but I'm not sure if they have third level qualifications too.... I think it might be best to take the third option, and hope for the best...!

marco_polo

A third level qualification is not a necessity, just that the applicant is suitable qualified to do the job. With 6 years programming experience I wouldn't see much of an issue on that front. A useful link below is the Green card list, IT is currently listed in the 30,000-59,000 category which is a good thing.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/migrant_workers/employment_permits/green_card_permits.html

The main criteria that has to be fufilled for a succesful application, aside from the occupation being on the list, is that the employer has spent a minimum of 8 weeks unsuccessfully attempting to fill the position with an Irish / EEA citizen.

blueythebear

marco_polo wrote: »

A third level qualification is not a necessity, just that the applicant is suitable qualified to do the job. With 6 years programming experience I wouldn't see much of an issue on that front. A useful link below is the Green card list, IT is currently listed in the 30,000-59,000 category which is a good thing.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/migrant_workers/employment_permits/green_card_permits.html

The main criteria that has to be fufilled for a succesful application, aside from the occupation being on the list, is that the employer has spent a minimum of 8 weeks unsuccessfully attempting to fill the position with an Irish / EEA citizen.

You're mixing up Work Permit scheme with the Green Card Scheme. IT is on the Occupation list for Green Cards but one stipulation is that the applicant has the appropriate educational qualifications and Department places a heavy emphasis on having the requisite qualifications for Green Card permits. An application for an IT position would be refused if the applicant does not have at least a degree in IT and it would also be very difficult for him to obtain a job offer in the first place without such a qualification.

THere is no need for the Labour Market Needs Test for a Green Card so no need for advertising the position.

Kariukikate

I am an EU citizen and my husband is African.He has a boy in Africa and we want to bring him to Ireland as his mother passed away.My husband has residency in Ireland .

zaza7625

we are family consisting of 6 members and out of them 5 members of my family are EU citizens.I have a marriage relationship with my wife which is affirmed by our marriage certificate and there is a my surname written on her EU passport due to our marriage.Besides, as I mentioned-above we have 4 EU citizen children together(holding EU passports). Unfortunately I am not an EU citizen and we are planning to move to Ireland together with our children from our residence (Georgia). I am applying for irish visa right now and the process is on but I don't know how it ends.
In case of refusal,would I be able to travel with all my family members without a visa, showing irish authorities all our documents mentioned-above? will I be separated at the border from my family?
thanks