Currently Domestic Residence and Permissions Division is receiving very high volumes of family dependent applications. As a consequence there is currently a delay in processing post/applications. When applications are received and uploaded on our systems applicants will receive an acknowledgement. We are doing all we can to acknowledge applications as soon as possible.
In This Section
Introduction
If you are a non-EEA national and you are the dependant of a family member resident in Ireland, you may be eligible for permission to reside in Ireland as a family dependent. To be eligible, you and your sponsor must currently live together in the one household in Ireland. We do not accept applications from outside Ireland.
Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) makes decisions on a case by case basis guided by the criteria set out in the policy document on Non-EEA Family Reunification.
Who is a family dependent?
The intention of the Immigration Services when considering Family Dependency applications is to allow family members to reside together in Ireland as part of a family unit.
You may be considered to be a family dependent if:
You are aged between 16 and 18, or
You are under the age of 23 and in fulltime education
Your sponsor is an Irish national, or a person married to an Irish national or an Irish resident holder of a Stamp 1, Stamp 4 or Stamp 5 permission
You normally live together with your sponsor as a member of a family unit
You do not normally live separately or apart on a permanent basis.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this scheme, you must meet the following conditions:
If you require a visa to travel to Ireland you must have been granted an Irish D-Join Family visa before coming to Ireland
You must be the dependent family member of a sponsor, that is, an Irish national; a person married to an Irish national; or a person living in Ireland with a Stamp 1, 4 or 5
If your family member is the holder of a Stamp 2 or Stamp 3 Irish Residence permission they do not qualify as sponsors
Your family member/sponsor must be able to support themselves and any dependents without any help from public funds
You must have entered Ireland legally. If you are unlawfully present in the State at the time of making the application, we will refuse the application
We will not accept your application if you are the subject of a notification of intention to deport (15 day letter under Section 3 of the 1999 Immigration Act) or a Deportation Order or any other requirement to leave the State
You must be a person of good character and obey Irish laws.
The following categories of people may be eligible to sponsor a family member, subject to meeting all criteria and having sufficient funds to support their family member:
Researchers under a Hosting Agreement
PhD students studying for a doctorate accredited in Ireland
Scholarship programme students from other countries
Level 8 Honours Degree and above students who can prove academic advancement.
Required documents
- Passport of the applicant (including D-join family visa)
- Passport of the sponsor.
- Full Birth certificates with certified translation into English where applicable Adoption certificate/legal guardianship order where applicable
- Marriage Certificate if application is based on applicant being the dependent child of a parent who is married to an Irish national /non EEA national or if application is based on being the dependent spouse of a non EEA national (Note: a Stable Union Declaration is not a marriage certificate)
- Utility bills in the names of one or both the applicant and the sponsor
- Evidence of residence at a shared address as part of a family unit in Ireland or in another country
- Evidence of sponsor’s or other financial resources available to you
- Financial statements covering the previous 6 months.
If renting:
- Letter from landlord/agency, rental contract, rent book or tenancy agreement (dated)
- Letters of registration of tenancy from the Residential Tenancies Board (dated)
- Proof of rent paid, for example, bank statements (dated).
If Home-Owning:
- Letter from mortgage provider, local authority or County Council (dated)
- Title or deeds (as applicable)
- Utility bills in the names of the sponsor, also
- Bank statements showing mortgage payments (dated).
If sponsor is employed
- Please provide supporting documents for the current activity/employment of sponsor in the State
- Current letter from employer setting out terms, conditions and hours of employment and/or signed contract of employment
- Two recent payslips and previous 3 years Summary of Employment details (if applicable)
- Evidence of all finances available to applicant and sponsor (that is 6 months of bank statements).
If sponsor is self-employed
- Agreed Tax Assessment from the Revenue Commissioners for the previous financial year (if applicable) or Letter of Registration for self-assessment (Income Tax) from the Revenue Commissioners
- Bank Statements of the business for the last 6 months
- Bank Statements and /or other evidence of financial resources.
If sponsor is studying
- Letter from college/course provider including course description, start date and completion date
- Evidence of Private Medical Insurance (for sponsor and applicant) Bank statements and/or other evidence of financial resources.
If sponsor is involuntarily unemployed
- Letter from Department of Social Protection with details of benefit claims
- Letter from Employment Services Office acknowledging registration as a jobseeker
- Letter from previous employer outlining circumstances of end of employment
- Summary of employment details for prior two years of employment and P45 from last employment.
To process an application in full we require evidence of full private medical insurance cover (for non-EEA sponsor and applicant).
How to submit an application
Please submit it by registered post with all the required documentation to the following address.
Family Dependent Application
Domestic Residence & Permissions Division
Immigration Service Delivery
PO Box 12695
Dublin 2, D02XK70
Incomplete application forms will not be accepted and will be returned.
If your application is approved
If the application is approved you will receive a letter from Immigration Service Delivery granting you permission to remain in Ireland. Then you and your sponsor will be required to attend at your local registration immigration office in order to register your permission to remain in the State. Details in respect of registration and renewal of registration will be provided with your permission letter.
If your application is refused
You can apply for a review of our decision made under the Family Reunification Policy document for up to two calendar months from the date of decision. The review will take into account the information given in the initial application along with any further information you wish to have considered.
The review will also be carried out by another officer who was not involved in the initial decision making process. This process is open to any applicant who feels that they have grounds for review.
Frequently asked questions
Applications take approximately 6 months to process.
No. If you do not have a separate permission to work in Ireland you have no entitlement to enter employment during the application process. The application process gives no right to work without an Employment Permit issued by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
If your application is successful you will receive a permission letter from Immigration Service Delivery. You and your sponsor will be required to attend at your local immigration registration office to register. Details in respect of registration and renewal of registration will be provided in correspondence issued by Immigration Service Delivery.
The type of permission given to a successful applicant will depend on the status of the sponsor.
In a case where the application is granted, the following types of permission may be given for up to one year. Instructions for renewal will be contained in the permission letter.
Sponsor – Irish National/Spouse of an Irish National
- If your sponsoring family member is an Irish national or a spouse of an Irish national, you may be granted up to one year on Stamp 4 conditions. This exempts you from the need to have an Employment Permit.
Sponsor – Stamp 1(General Employment Permit holder -GEP) or Stamp 4 or Stamp 5 holder
- If your sponsoring family member is a non-EEA national resident in Ireland on a Stamp 1 (GEP), Stamp 4 or 5 conditions you may be granted a permission on Stamp 3 conditions for one year or in line with your sponsor’s permission. This Stamp 3 does not allow you to work in Ireland and it will not allow you to apply for a Dependent Employment Permit unless your sponsor previously held an Employment Permit. If you wish to work you will have to apply to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an Employment Permit.
Sponsor – Stamp 1(Critical Skills Employment Permit holder – CSEP or a Researcher on a Hosting Agreement)
- If your sponsoring family member is a non-EEA national resident in Ireland on a Stamp 1 (CSEP) conditions, and you are married, you may be granted a permission on Stamp 1G conditions for one year or in line with your sponsor’s permission. This Stamp 1G will allow you to work in Ireland without needing a work permit.
- If your sponsoring family member is a non-EEA national resident in Ireland on a Stamp 1 (CSEP) conditions, and you are a child under 18, you may be granted a permission on Stamp 3 conditions for one year or in line with your sponsor’s permission. This Stamp 3 will not allow you to work in Ireland without needing a work permit.
An application for permission to remain in Ireland as a member of a family unit should include documents listed above under Required documents. Your application will be examined in accordance with the provisions set out in the published Policy Document on Family Reunification.
Your temporary permission to remain in the State will issue on the condition that you:
- Will obey the laws of the State
- Will not become involved in criminal activity
- Will make every effort to gain employment and not be a burden on the State
- Accept that the granting of your temporary permission to remain does not confer any entitlement or legitimate expectation on any other person, whether related to you or not, to enter or remain in Ireland
- Will reside continuously in the State
- You agree to be the subject of enquiries as to whether you have obeyed the laws of the State or you have been convicted of any offence and you have not been involved in criminal activity.
This means that you must live here full time for the period in respect of which you were granted permission. This period of continuous residence may only be interrupted by short periods spent outside the State for the following reasons: holidays, family emergencies, or work commitments arising from business or employment carried out within the State. Generally, periods of absence from the State in a calendar year, either a single absence or cumulative absences, should not exceed 90 days.)
Change or not renew permission
In the event that information comes to the attention of the Immigration Service Delivery which is relevant to the granting of permission to you, the Minister may reconsider your status in the State and may vary or choose not to renew this permission on the basis of information:
That shows that you have not complied with these conditions
That relates to your character or conduct (whether prior to or subsequent to this letter), including criminal convictions
That indicates that you have failed to register as required
That indicates that you have provided misleading or inaccurate information to the Minister or to the other authorities of the State.
The above is not an exhaustive list of the grounds on which the Minister may vary or choose not to renew your permission to be in the State.
Contact us
You may address questions to [email protected]. Please ensure that your email includes your name, reference number and contact details.