For Americans who want to move to Ireland

BEAT

I got a pm recently asking me how to do this, they had heard about me moving to Dublin and wanted some help.
I have had these questions before so I thought Id post up my advice and sticky it incase anyone else comes to baords looking for help.

Step #1 is the most improtant thing, if you can complete step#1 successfully then you will have nothing else to worry about...at all.
Having said that, it is the hardest thing to do and you will see why here.

You must secure a job before moving there. If you go there in an attempt to find work you had better have a load of money stashed first.

To find work you need one of the following:

A work visa, can only be obtained for the following professions:
Architecht
Medical profession
IT professional

A legal citizenship status, by marriage or by default from your parents or grandparnet having been born there. They will only go as far back as your Grandparent and you have to show thier birth certificate then apply for citezenship.

Student visa, you apply for this ahead of time and must be in school 20-30 hrs / week then you will be granted a student/work visa.

A work permit,
this is for everyone else. The only thing is you cant get one unless you know someone vey important. I got nearly 200 declinations and they all said I was what they were looking for but couldnt hire me because Im not part of the EU. You can only get a work permit if an employer hires you and applies for one for you, that employer must show reason on that application to the govt why you, an american... are more qualified for the position than an Irish citizen or someone who is part of the EU.
More than likely it isnt going to happen. I tried for over 2 years.

Now, if you have family that lives there you may luck out
I dont want to discourage you at all but as you can see its no easy task.
Unless you have loads of money and can live there for 5 years without working (which will gain you citizenship) you'l need to do one of the above to be able to work and live in Ireland legally.

If you get a pub/waiting job and are paid under the table that is cool but dont get caught or you will be deported and never again allowed to return.

I did extensive research and the only way I could get to stay was to get married, the only catch to that was in Ireland you cant get divorced for 5 years! so needless to say I came home even though I found someone who was willing to do it.

Good luck, and let me know how you get on!

Shortnose

Hmmm... things sure have changed since I was in Ireland. The EU has ruined it for the rest of us! LOL! It used to be one could travel to every country in the EU (prior to the union I mean) and stay for 3 months on a tourist visa. Now, one can only stay within all of the EU for 3 months! How unfair is that?

At least, however, US citizens can remain in the UK for up to 6 months. And I don't know what the score is for Switzerland or other countries not a part of the EU (yet). I guess one could stay in Switzerland for 3 months and then pop over the border for another 3, but still...

And I guess if one had an e-commerce biz hosted offshore or maintained a biz in the US, that would help. I guess as long as resources are coming from outside the EU they wouldn't complain too much about it.

Geez. Portugal used to be a 'bargain' place, and now the Algarve properties are sky high - as are property values in Ireland. Celtic Tiger and all that....

There wasn't even a McDonald's in Dublin when I was there last (1973). I cannot begin to imagine how it all looks now. All the tech savvy peeps all over the country. It's a goldmine for businesses who wish to relocate to Ireland, that's for sure... what with all the well-educated work force, etc.

Pretty soon, US citizens aren't going to be able to go beyond our borders to enjoy the experience of working elsewhere around the globe. That is sad. One of the highlights of my life was working in Dublin - albeit for a short time. An experience I'll never forget!

Thank you, Dubliners!

Clinical Waste

1973!!!

Well we all have shoes now...

Shortnose

Clinical Waste wrote:

1973!!!

Well we all have shoes now...

LOL!! Love your user name!

Yeah, my stepmother wanted to know if they had 'sanitary supplies' for ladies (?!?!) Get real! My mother offered to send me Crest toothpaste (popular US brand). Uh... if I wanted to use US products, I'd have stayed in the US.

What I meant to say was, the typical US corporation hadn't sullied the appearance of Ireland with its garish golden arches or whatever fast-food logo (like Kentucky Fried Chicken, etc.) of the day is lately....

I wasn't trying to insinuate that Ireland was 'backwards' in 1973. Merely, nice and clean and pure. Why, I even watched a guy drink water straight out of a lake outside Galway (?!!) You couldn't do that in the US at that time, either!

toaster

anything in the medical profession, or is it just the most demanding fields in the medical profession ... like doctors, nurses, or what?

Sangre

I'd assume nearly any trained medical profession. We're really short of supply lately.

toaster

wwhee! knowing that, at least i have a slim shot.

FranknFurter

BEAT wrote:

as you can see its no easy task.
Unless can live there for 5 years without working (which will gain you citizenship) you'l need to do one of the above to be able to work and live in Ireland legally.

If thats the case, do you know if you have to do somthing every three months to have a "holiday" visa ""re-issued"? Or can u just stay for five years and THEN just apply for citzenship?

BEAT

all he has to do is register at the local gardai station within 30 dya of his arrival and let them know of his plans..they will instruct him on what he needs to do after that.
He will have to show proof of financial stability and the address where he is staying and need prob a letter of reference from whom ever he is living with.

Ruu_Old

I can confirm what beat said, when my wife moved from America. We just went into the local garda station. They just need proof that you arent going to be a "burden" on the state, so a bank account or something like that would be good.
You will then get an alien registration card and i think you renew it each year, as far as i can remember Please post anything else you need to know as i experienced that when my wife moved here.

FranknFurter

Thnx for the info,
Least we now know where to go from here
Looks like we're gonna have to go to the local station soon then if thats the case, been here 2.5 weeks already.

Ugh, gonna be difficult tracking that kinda stuff down to prove what needs to be proven apparently. His work is 100% net based, ugh

FranknFurter

hmm............
been onto 2 seperate stations now, clondalkin and harcourt square, neither seem to know what im talking about.

Embassy recommend contacting dept. equality & law reform, who recommend etc etc etc etc.........


*sigh

Ruu_Old

Did you ask for the immigration officer of each station?

FranknFurter

fraid so, an only got blank stares and guards asking each other "immigration officer?" ....in a "do we have one of those?" way :rolleyes:

mickoneill30

I'm in a similar situation. I'm Irish, living in Oz and moving back to Ireland next month. My girlfriend is 30 and Aussie so she is too old for the working holiday and she's doesn't have skills required by Ireland. I was looking at www.oasis.gov.ie and asked them what I can do. I got a reply back with the following

"your partner doesn't need a visa to travel to Ireland and can remain here for 3 months when she arrives. After this, she then needs to go to the Garda National Immigration Bureau (if living here in Dublin) or her local Garda station (if living down the country) and she can apply to extend her stay. It would help significantly if you accompanied her to the police to demonstrate that you know her, you are in employment and have the funds to support her. (Effectively, they just want to see that she is not a burden on the State).

Normally, such applications to extend her stay will be for 3 months (she can then apply again for another 3 months, etc.). If her application is granted she will get what is known as a Stamp 3 on her passport. This means that she can stay here for an additional 3 months at a time but unfortunately, it doesn't give her the right to work here at all."

So if the Garda are looking at you funny you could try the Garda National Immigration Bureau (http://www.garda.ie/angarda/gnib.html).

TiwstaSista

Shortnose wrote:

Hmmm... things sure have changed since I was in Ireland. The EU has ruined it for the rest of us! LOL! It used to be one could travel to every country in the EU (prior to the union I mean) and stay for 3 months on a tourist visa. Now, one can only stay within all of the EU for 3 months!

Are you sure? I thought the union meant you could stay and work in any EU country for as long as you like, visa free... thats why all the eastern bloc countries are ripping to get in.

Ruu_Old

Im almost sure if your country of citizenship is part of the EU, you are free to travel and live/work there as long as you wish without any restriction.

TheLostSaint

i have a question here ... maybe a loop hole or something

i been looking into buyin a house in ireland, havnt got all that far yet, but i figure that as i buy it now and have it paid off in say like 20 years and just use it as a vacation place/ or rent it or something..

and the question i have is this: does it count if you buy a house there as "legal residence" ??

Ruu_Old

Im not sure, but dont you get a first time buyers grant if you are a resident (or at least thats the way it is if you are Irish, I think)

TheLostSaint

im still in the works of the first time buyers thing, its fairly a new idea right now and soundin like a good idea anyway .. and i do plan on movin to ireland later down the road , just not to sure on the time frame, but if this does work then i would have the citizenship workin for me now .. and thats the main thing .. i wouldnt mind owning a pub either heheh

imirceach

Shortnose wrote:

I wasn't trying to insinuate that Ireland was 'backwards' in 1973. Merely, nice and clean and pure. Why, I even watched a guy drink water straight out of a lake outside Galway (?!!) You couldn't do that in the US at that time, either!

I know that guy... he's a fecking looper! :eek:

giggidtygig2

imirceach wrote:

I know that guy... he's a fecking looper! :eek:

Drinking water from a lake is a pretty bad idea no matter when you do it! :eek:

Ruu_Old

I wish there were some lakes in Illinois or anything for that matter, so boring! I can't wait to go back to the bumpy roads of Co.Meath.

iguana

I have an American friend who's grandparents were from Latvia so she was considering applying for a Latvian passport, so that she could get access to the EU. She never pursued it as she split up with her Irish boyfriend before Latvia joined the EU. Then she met her current American boyfriend and lost all interest in moving to Ireland so I don't know if it would have worked or not but it might be worth checking out if you have a European grandparent.

Oh and the FTB grant has been gone for a few years. Unless they brought it back?

BEAT

if your grandparent was born there you can apply for citezenship with proof of thier birth certificate and a load of other paperwork... it only goes as far back as your grandparent....not great grandparents etc... (which was my case)

Xiney

Ruu wrote:

I can confirm what beat said, when my wife moved from America. We just went into the local garda station. They just need proof that you arent going to be a "burden" on the state, so a bank account or something like that would be good.
You will then get an alien registration card and i think you renew it each year, as far as i can remember Please post anything else you need to know as i experienced that when my wife moved here.

Hi Ruu,

I am in the same situation as your wife, having married an Irish citizen and moving to Ireland in about 6 months.

The citizens information site says that I can work in Ireland once married to an Irish citizen. How does that work, exactly, if you know?

BEAT

after you are married and move to Ireland you have to file sopme paperwork and they will give you what is the equivilant of a tax id number that you will need when applying for work. It will all be explained when you register
good luck!

Ruu_Old

Hi Xiney,

You will have to pop into the local Garda Station and get yourself registered there with an immigration officer on duty. You will get an alien registration card, a stamp on your passport and that has been renewed each year. After that just go into the local Social Welfare office and they will give a PPS (Social Security number in the US) number. Should be okay after that. Best of luck.
Actually now that I just thought of it, there are a few new rules on immigrants moving to Ireland, I think the government are bringing in a green card scheme. Will try and find out more for you.

Ruairi

Xiney

BEAT wrote:

after you are married and move to Ireland you have to file sopme paperwork and they will give you what is the equivilant of a tax id number that you will need when applying for work. It will all be explained when you register
good luck!

Yes, that is what we've heard/read and so on. It's just that we anticipated the Canadian immigration process to be quite easy, (according to what we heard/read) and it turned out to be quite laughably difficult/impossible to navigate so you'll understand if "Land, register with the gards and get a number then look for some jobs" sounds a bit too good to be true. (Hubs waited for 15 months to be allowed to work here)

Thanks for the luck... who knows if we'll need it!

Ruu wrote:

Hi Xiney,

You will have to pop into the local Garda Station and get yourself registered there with an immigration officer on duty. You will get an alien registration card, a stamp on your passport and that has been renewed each year. After that just go into the local Social Welfare office and they will give a PPS (Social Security number in the US) number. Should be okay after that. Best of luck.
Actually now that I just thought of it, there are a few new rules on immigrants moving to Ireland, I think the government are bringing in a green card scheme. Will try and find out more for you.

Ruairi

Oh please do keep me posted. A green card requirement would really throw a wrench into everything, our savings are pretty low these days (anticipating this move is going to further deplete them) and I really do need to get work as soon as I land pretty much.

Ruu_Old

Looks like you are safe enough. There are new laws coming in February 1st but they don't apply to you.

Work permit not necessary

As a foreign national, you do not need a work permit if you are in one of the following categories:

* EEA/Swiss citizen and your spouse (whether he/she is a EEA/Swiss citizen or not) and your dependent children - except Bulgarian and Romanian nationals, see above
* Person who has been granted refugee status - whether through the normal process or as a programme refugee.
* Postgraduate student where the work is an integral part of the course of study being undertaken.
* Person who has been given permission to stay in the country because you are the spouse of an Irish citizen or the parent of an Irish citizen.
* Person who has been refused refugee status but has been granted leave to remain on humanitarian grounds.

g-punkteffekt

yeah I'm married (seperated) to a canadian, and when we lived there I had to go through tonnes of paperwork, give them garda statements, pay over 1000 dollars etc. etc. so that I could work, get blood tests, medical exams, it took ages. I hear it's even harder in the states. When she came here? Stamp on the passport - here's your RSI number. It should be the same for us over there, it's seriously unfair.

man1

Ruu wrote:

I wish there were some lakes in Illinois or anything for that matter, so boring! I can't wait to go back to the bumpy roads of Co.Meath.

Ehh! Isnt there some of the worlds biggest lakes in Illinois???

uma

In a similar situation with myself,in a relationship with an american who wants to live here.

Any updates on the situation? cheers.

a_happier_me

This information may or may not answer/or confirm what's been said in previous posts. I am an American, and through another forum, met my partner, who is full Irish. Two years ago I moved to Ireland. Within 3 months of arrival I contacted our local Immigration Officer. As I am totally dependant on my partner for financial support, I/We had to provide a letter from my partner stating that he had the means of support for the both of us, as well as Medical Insurance for myself...(As proof that I would not be a burden to the state). Having done that, at the Officer's instruction, my Immigration Card is to be renewed yearly. At the point when we marry later this year, I must then renew my card every 5 years. Until said marraige takes place I am unable to work, as stated earlier, you must work in a profession that is in dire need of qualified personel, and have a specialty that can not be filled by someone of EU decent. I'm not one of those ppl...What you can do tho, is apply for a PPS number, which entitles you to several things, not the least of which is obtain a full Irish Driving Licence...(I've got my licence...but that's a different post completely!!!):D

turnipthrower

Hello! I don't know if anyone is even answering this anymore! But what the hell, I'm gonna post anyway.
I've fallen for this guy from Las Vegas I've been talking to on the internet for a while now, and he wants to move to Ireland, possibly next year. I've been trying to find out everything I can, and one of the things I've found out from reading one of the websites is that from June 1st, 2009, it's saying something about work permits can't be given anymore to people who earn under 30,000 euro a year. Now I live and work in Ireland and I don't make much money, I earn basically minimum wage, and he does the same kind of work, so he wouldn't have some sort of qualification that would earn that kind of money. So is that the final word on it all? Is there any kind of way it can work? This is terrible! I know you can stay 3 months and have to apply to stay longer etc, but if you can't apply for the work permit if you're not earning enough then is it all over?

galwaydude

I am afraid so unless you decide to get married. That would change everything. If that is a long way down the line it is easier for him to come to ireland. Immigration in the US is a pain in the ass at best.

You could always apply for the US lottery visa and hope for the best.

turnipthrower

Thanks, Galway Dude! So if you get married then it's less complicated? Hmmm. Well that would be a long way off, but I suppose at least it's an option. GRRRR Why does money have to ruin everything??

galwaydude

My wife is american so if you have questions if you decide to go down that route fire away.

turnipthrower

Well it would be a long way off. I feel really sad now about it all!

grey1860

what about serving in there military, the US will grant citizenship for time in the service. does ireland do the same?

turnipthrower

Oh I didn't think of that - I'm not sure about that one, I'll have to check it out! I don't know if he'd be very suited to the military though! The good news is that marriage is an option possibly in the future - it's gonna take a very long time though!

watna

As far as I know the Irish army are not recruiting at the moment. I don't think it is like America where they are crying out for people to join so I don't think they'd need to entice people with citizenship.

We don't go to war, you see

I'm willing to be proven wrong but I've never heard of getting citizenship for serving in the Irish army. You could check in the military forum.

iguana

watna wrote: »

As far as I know the Irish army are not recruiting at the moment. I don't think it is like America where they are crying out for people to join so I don't think they'd need to entice people with citizenship.

Indeed they don't:

University graduates battle it out for army jobs

Thursday August 20 2009

UNEMPLOYED graduates are fighting it out for a career in the army or navy.

The Defence Forces have been flooded with applications for 42 cadetships that were advertised earlier this month.

In the past 11 days, 1,641 applications have been received -- an average of 39 for each of the 30 army and 12 naval service positions on offer.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/university-graduates-battle-it-out-for-army-jobs-1864704.html?r=RSS

jcphilly78

Hello there i just graduate from a technical school here in the US as a dental assistant, and i look forward to move on to the next step as dental hygienist, my top goal is to be a general dentist but to be honest with you guys, as you know here in the US is very expensive to study in the dental school, so i'm looking for other choices and i heard about Ireland and it sound very interesting, my question is how can i move from the US and continue my education overseas in a place like Ireland? i would love to heard from you guys, thank you very much!

grey1860

well i guess i am screwed then yall have a beautiful country. i was lucky enough to drop in on my way home from iraq. i only spent ten hours in shannon but it was probably the best mishap the military has made for me.

Kurosaki_

a_happier_me wrote: »

This information may or may not answer/or confirm what's been said in previous posts. I am an American, and through another forum, met my partner, who is full Irish. Two years ago I moved to Ireland. Within 3 months of arrival I contacted our local Immigration Officer. As I am totally dependant on my partner for financial support, I/We had to provide a letter from my partner stating that he had the means of support for the both of us, as well as Medical Insurance for myself...(As proof that I would not be a burden to the state). Having done that, at the Officer's instruction, my Immigration Card is to be renewed yearly. At the point when we marry later this year, I must then renew my card every 5 years. Until said marraige takes place I am unable to work, as stated earlier, you must work in a profession that is in dire need of qualified personel, and have a specialty that can not be filled by someone of EU decent. I'm not one of those ppl...What you can do tho, is apply for a PPS number, which entitles you to several things, not the least of which is obtain a full Irish Driving Licence...(I've got my licence...but that's a different post completely!!!):D

Does anyone know if this is still possible? Do you have to be married or can you just got o the local Garda station and apply for an extension of the visa, I am able to support my girlfriend no problem and would love for her to be able to stay here longer than 3 months

lil_lisa

I'm not sure if I'm in the right thread but I was reading up on the Green Card for Ireland. This has now replaced the Work Visa. It seems pretty basic, having a software degree, a company willing to "employ" a person in that department and enough money for the visa itself, is it possible for the employee to get a visa without spending much time in the country? I know this is a strange thing. Basically, she's studying outside Ireland and would like the option of going to Ireland whenever, she lived there for three years and loves it. Is there a minimum time you must be in the country while on a visa? And do they check payslips and everything to see if you are getting paid or whatnot?

Information for this is at: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/employment/migrant-workers/employment-permits/green_card_permits

[Jackass]

Hey,

I would appreciate help with this...please tell me what you think of this scenario...

I met my girlfriend just before Summer of 2009, she's from New York, I'm from Dublin. She lived and worked in Dublin for 6 months and left at the end of the summer in 09. We stayed together and kept in touch the whole time and then I moved to Toronto in December 09 and am just a few hours drive away from her now. My Canadian visa only lasts until December 2010, by which point we will have been together a year and a half.

If I move back to Dublin, is there any kind of common law spouse visa you can get or something? Or if she came back to Dublin with me, is there any way she could work? (without getting married...although we are looking at it as a last resort! :pac:) Really love this girl and can't do months apart again, so really need to find a way we can stay physically together once my one year visa here is up...

Also, is there any kind of special arangement with Visas for the U.K and U.S? For example, could she get a visa to work in UK, London or Edinburgh or somewhere, and I could move over?

Angiebaby427

Ok so in america I work for the red cross. I want to move to Ireland but I have been told that it is getting very difficult so my question pertains to the medical field then I guess.... I do not have a degree just the experience. So does Ireland have their own version of the red cross or am I pretty much outta my Irish luck?

iguana

Angiebaby427 wrote: »

Ok so in america I work for the red cross. I want to move to Ireland but I have been told that it is getting very difficult so my question pertains to the medical field then I guess.... I do not have a degree just the experience. So does Ireland have their own version of the red cross or am I pretty much outta my Irish luck?

http://www.redcross.ie/

Angiebaby427

iguana wrote: »

http://www.redcross.ie/

Thank you very much for that! I sent them an email and am hoping to hear back from them! Are you from Ireland? Do you know anything about the red cross there?