US Citizen married to Irish citizen stay longer than 90 days?

stoker7

Hey,

My brother has been living in memphis and married a US citizen. He recently received his us citizenship. They are coming back for christmas and intend to stay until may. This means she will be staying longer than the 90 days. My brother had a serious illness and this is why they are coming back for so long.

How do we go about getting a visa longer than the 90 days? Is there some process for extending a visa under these circumstances?

Any help is appreciated I just cant seem to find anywhere that gives a solid answer. She doesnt have irish citizenship and has no irish connections.

Does she have to get immigration at the airport to extend?
Does she have to contact her local irish consulate/embassy in usa?
Can she arrive and get this sorted here in ireland with immigration officials?

Thanks folks, couldnt think of anywhere better then Boards for help..

spank_inferno

I could be wrong but I think most police stations will have an immigration officer who may be able to assist.

Having said that.
Staying 2 extra months, not working or drawing social welfare & with a return ticket booked, I doubt the immigration police will be breaking down the door.

jjbrien

Well im over here with my American wife. What they need to do is get their marriage cert from where they got married. Then they need to contact the GNIB outside Dublin this is done in a garda station or if its Dublin they need to go down to the GNIB office on the quays.

They must take the marrage cert, the Irish Spouses Irish passport and his wife's American passport. They will also need proof of address like a bill or lease. She will then be granted a stamp 4 residency stamp for 1 year. Which will allow her come and go and even work or study if she wants.

stoker7

thanks lads some good info there,
I think we can arrange to meet immigration when they get here.

Problem I just though of.. when coming through immigration at dublin airport she will only be allowed 3 months visa however if the officer asks her return flight isnt for 5 months. He would be entitled to not let her through I would guess. What could we do in advance to guarantee getting through immigration?
Again, thanks for the help..

Miaireland

I think she would be as well off contacting the Irish Embassy before she leaves the USA. If she turns up at the airport with a return flight booked after her visa expires she is telling emigration that she plans to overstay her visa. I would think they would have to refuse her regardless of the circumstances when they know she will not be obeying the terms of the visa she holds.

The Irish Embassy should be able to advise her what steps she needs to take.

My best wishes to your brother and I wish him a speedy recovery.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

jjbrien

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

No it cant be granted at the airport. They inform you to go report to your local GNIB office its only a formality. I did it myself with my wife this year.

spank_inferno

Besides.... Immigration @the airport arrivals just ask for a passport to look at.

They are not likely to haul you over the coals....

tatli_lokma

The return 5 months later won't be an issue - if they do ask she just needs to explain that she will be attending GNIB to extend the initial 90 day visa. As the spouse of an Irish citizen she is perfectly entitled to do this and there would be no issues. Main things to have when attending the GNIB is proof of marriage, proof of their connections to the USA (not absolutely essential but supporting info to confirm their intended return won't do anything harm) and proof of funds to support themselves whilst here without needing assistance from social welfare. For this a letter from whomever they are staying with and a copy of travel or health insurance would be helpful.

jjbrien

tatli_lokma wrote: »

Main things to have when attending the GNIB is proof of marriage, proof of their connections to the USA (not absolutely essential but supporting info to confirm their intended return won't do anything harm) and proof of funds to support themselves whilst here without needing assistance from social welfare. For this a letter from whomever they are staying with and a copy of travel or health insurance would be helpful.

We were never asked for any of this this is all you require

If you are a non visa required national who has entered the State legally within the last 90 days or if you are a visa required national and you are within the period of permission to remain granted to you on arrival in the State (except short stay ‘c’ visas):, or if you have current permission to remain in the State on an alternative basis both you and your Irish national spouse/civil partner should attend at your local Garda National Immigration Bureau Registration office with the following documentation:
Your original marriage/civil partnership certificate
Your original passport
Your Irish spouse’s/civil partner’s original passport
Evidence of your joint address

from http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/WP07000024

tatli_lokma

jjbrien wrote: »

We were never asked for any of this this is all you require


from http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/WP07000024

It's up to the immigration official or garda processing the application and they are free to ask for extra information if they want, so my advice was given just to have as many bases covered on the day rather than have to return

From inis website:

 Further documentation may be required at a later stage. It should be noted that both the applicant and their Irish national spouse/civil partner may be required to attend for interview in relation to your application. This office may contact you in this regard in due course.

jjbrien

tatli_lokma wrote: »

It's up to the immigration official or garda processing the application and they are free to ask for extra information if they want, so my advice was given just to have as many bases covered on the day rather than have to return

From inis website:

Well i have done this myself now 3 times with my wife and never have been asked for anything other than what the guards have posted on thier offical page. The only time they will seek more info if they think the marriage is not genuine. A good friend of our family is a senior ranking officer in the GNIB if they think the marriage is a sham which the OP's isnt then they will want to see more than just financial proof. Im not going to get into a debate over this the requirements are well set down on the GNIB's website.

http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/WP07000024

tatli_lokma

Must be great to know it all and have high ranking friends in GNIB. :rolleyes: is there really a need to be so negative to the advice I gave? And if you read other forums, (not boards) you will see that people get randomly asked for all sorts of information at application stage. A lot of it is luck of the draw and down to the official you deal with on the day, it's hardly bad advice to suggest someone be over prepared?

jjbrien

tatli_lokma wrote: »

Must be great to know it all and have high ranking friends in GNIB. :rolleyes: is there really a need to be so negative to the advice I gave? And if you read other forums, (not boards) you will see that people get randomly asked for all sorts of information at application stage. A lot of it is luck of the draw and down to the official you deal with on the day, it's hardly bad advice to suggest someone be over prepared?

Well it is better to be over prepaired than not prepaired at all. My advise to anyone dealing with the GNIB is to call them before you go in and ask what the officer requires. First time we did the stamp 4 we did it down the country where my dad lives. We renewed my wifes stamp 4 card last week in Dublin and boy i never want to see the place again. 3 hours waiting staff there doing anything but work.

tatli_lokma

By the way the quote from inis that I referenced is on the page that you linked to twice, so it's not like I was giving conflicting information. Maybe read the page yourself more thoroughly?They reserve the right to ask for more information or request you attend for interview. That is what the page you referenced says, it's not like I pulled it out of my ass!

tatli_lokma

GNIB don't have a query line. INIS used to have one but it is no longer in operation - at least it wasn't as of November. You need to email them instead.

tatli_lokma

jjbrien wrote: »

. First time we did the stamp 4 we did it down the country where my dad lives. We renewed my wifes stamp 4 card last week in Dublin and boy i never want to see the place again. 3 hours waiting staff there doing anything but work.

If you can apply to a local immigration garda it is so much easier. If you live in Dublin and have to attend Burgh Quay it is a royal pain in the arse. My hubby now has citizenship but we had to renew his stamp 4 on three previous occasions. That place sucks your will to live and what you are told seems to vary depending on who you speak to. And as you say, rather than actual work there seems to be a lot of walking around with files under arms than actual attempts to get through the huge queues! Total nightmare.

tatli_lokma

Must be great to know it all and have high ranking friends in GNIB. :rolleyes: is there really a need to be so negative to the advice I gave? And if you read other forums, (not boards) you will see that people get randomly asked for all sorts of information at application stage. A lot of it is luck of the draw and down to the official you deal with on the day, it's hardly bad advice to suggest someone be over prepared?

jjbrien

tatli_lokma wrote: »

Must be great to know it all and have high ranking friends in GNIB. :rolleyes: is there really a need to be so negative to the advice I gave? And if you read other forums, (not boards) you will see that people get randomly asked for all sorts of information at application stage. A lot of it is luck of the draw and down to the official you deal with on the day, it's hardly bad advice to suggest someone be over prepared?

Well hes handy to know but Id never go to him unless we really needed help he did advise us how to go about the process but we did it all ourselfs.

The GNIB in Dublin is the most unprofessional place I have ever set eyes on. Some of the staff were sitting there reading a newspaper in plain sight of the public when my wife was collecting her new stamp 4 card the woman was sitting there texting her buddy's. 3 officers were standing behind her having a laugh. One woman seen one person then proceeded to walk around into the public area then went outside and repeated this 3 or 4 times until she finally decided to see another person. Its not a good image for our country they show.

I get where your coming from with these people the ones I seen in Dublin are a law onto themselves. So being prepaired is the best defence against them. But make sure to have proof of address in your own name. The first time we did the stamp 4 we were staying with my dad and the officer wanted proof of address in my name and not my dads.

netopia

jjbrien wrote: »

My advise to anyone dealing with the GNIB is to call them before you go in and ask what the officer requires.

Yeah good luck with that