Change of Immigration Status in Ireland - What You Must Know
If your personal circumstances have changed, or you require a change of status, you must inform the Irish Immigration Service Delivery.
For more information about Irish immigration, including expert support and advice for your own personal situation, reach out to one of our immigration advisers today. Call us on +353 (0) 61 518 025, or contact us online today.
Overview of Changing Your Immigration Status in Ireland
There are some important things to consider regarding changing your immigration status in Ireland.
One of these is ensuring that you inform the Irish Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) of any changes to your personal circumstances that might affect your valid current permission.
These circumstance changes may be in any of the following categories:
- Family
- Work and study
- Time
- Other personal circumstances
Informing the ISD is essential as it will ensure that you’re on the most accurate and up-to-date type of permission or stamp that best suits your circumstances.
You must also always ensure that you seek to change your status with your local registration office before your current immigration permission expires.
Changes in Family Circumstances
There are a number of circumstances where you may inform the ISD of changes to your family life.
These include if you’ve become any of the following while in Ireland:
- A de facto partner of an Irish or non-EEA national
- The spouse of an Irish national
- The spouse or child of a non-EEA citizen or Irish national
- The parent of an Irish Citizen child
- An individual applying for an immigration clearance letter to bring an AAI approved foreign adopted child into the State
Applying as the de facto partner of an Irish or non-EEA national may be appropriate if you’ve been in a relationship for at least two years with an eligible sponsor.
Applying as the spouse of an Irish national may be appropriate if you’ve entered into a marriage or a civil partnership with an Irish citizen.
Applying as the spouse or child of a non-EEA citizen or Irish national may be appropriate if you’re the dependent family member of an eligible sponsor.
Applying as the parent of an Irish Citizen child may be appropriate if you’re the biological parent of an Irish child.
Applying for an immigration clearance will be appropriate if you’ve completed a foreign adoption and need permission to bring the child into Ireland.
Changes in Work and Study Circumstances
There are a number of circumstances where you may inform the ISD of changes to your work and study situations.
These include if you need to do any of the following:
- Reactivate your employment permit
- Get permission under the Turkish Association Agreement
- Modify your student permission
- Apply for the third level graduate programme
These cover a few potential situations that may occur during your time in Ireland.
Reactivating your employment permit may be appropriate if you held a valid employment permit and you’ve now fallen out of employment through no fault of your own, you’ve been exploited or treated badly, or you wish to change employers.
Getting permission under the Turkish Association Agreement may be appropriate if you’re working in Ireland under the agreement for a certain period of time and need to upgrade your permission.
Modifying your student permission may be appropriate if you need to seek an alternative kind of permission for your current student visa, such as if you wish to take another course, or a different course to your current one.
Applying for the third level graduate programme may be appropriate if you wish to stay in Ireland for an additional 12 months after being awarded a level 8 or 9 for their degree course.
Changes in Time Circumstances
There are a number of circumstances where you may wish to inform the ISD on the basis of your time spent in the State.
These include if you wish to apply for any of the following:
- Long term residency
- Without Condition As To Time
- Irish citizenship
Applying for long term residency may be appropriate if you’ve been resident in Ireland for at least 5 years with a valid, in-date Irish residence permit and employment permit for the whole duration of that time.
Applying for Without Condition As To Time (also known as Stamp 5 permission to remain) may be appropriate if you’ve been resident in Ireland for at least 8 years.
Applying for Irish citizenship may be appropriate if you wish to become a fully naturalised Irish citizen and you comply with all of the eligibility criteria to do so.
Changes in Other Personal Circumstances
There are various instances where you may wish to inform the ISD of changes to your personal circumstances.
For example, these may include any of the following:
- Extending your stay in exceptional circumstances
- Provisions for domestic violence
- Applying for a change of name licence
- Recognition of your dual citizenship
- Renewal of permission under the IBC 05 scheme
- Applying for Labour Market Access Permission
- Repatriation
- Voluntary returns
Extending your stay in exceptional circumstances may be appropriate if you have a valid, compelling reason to extend your visitor’s permission beyond the usual 90 days.
Provisions for domestic violence may be appropriate if you need assistance as a victim of domestic violence whose permission to reside in Ireland is linked to the perpetrator of the violence.
Applying for a change of name licence may be appropriate if you’re a non-EEA national and wish to legally change your name to a name that is different to the one on your birth certificate.
Recognition of your dual citizenship may be appropriate if you’re a citizen of Ireland and another country and wish to apply for permission to remain in Ireland Without Condition (also known as Stamp 6).
Renewal of permission under the IBC 05 scheme may be appropriate if you’ve previously been granted permission under the IBC 05 scheme and need to renew the same permission.
Applying for Labour Market Access Permission may be appropriate if you’re an international protection applicant and you’ve been waiting 6 months or more for the first decision on your international protection application.
Repatriation may occur if you’re subject to a deportation order or found to be illegally resident in Ireland.
Voluntary returns may be appropriate if you’re asked to leave Ireland voluntarily but do not have the means to do so on your own.
How Can Total Law Help?
When staying in Ireland, you may well need to inform the ISD of various changes that might influence and affect your current immigration permission.
If you need any additional advice or support when doing so, Total Law is here to help.
We offer complete and comprehensive immigration support to foreign nationals inside and outside of Ireland. Whether you need assistance with getting in touch with the ISD, unsure what your rights are under the Immigration Act, or just need some expert advice on your personal circumstances, we can help.
For more information about the services we offer, and what we could do for you, reach out to us on +353 (0) 61 518 025, or contact us online today.
You may be interested in reading about.
Advice Package
Get clear, expert advice on your visa options, eligibility and application before you commit to applying.
Application Package
Let our immigration lawyers prepare, check and manage your application so you can apply with confidence.
Appeal Package
Been refused or received an unfavourable decision? Get expert legal help to challenge it or determine your next step.
Fast Track Package
Need to apply quickly? Get priority handling by our immigration lawyers from preparation to submission.
The Advice Package
During this Advice Session, an immigration lawyer will assess your circumstances, explain your options and tell you what you need to do to make a strong application.
We review your circumstances, explain the relevant requirements, identify potential problems or refusal risks, and advise you on the evidence and next steps.
The Application Package
With our Application Package, your dedicated immigration lawyer will assess your case, prepare your application, check your supporting documents and submit your forms on your behalf.
We check your application for missing information, inconsistencies and potential issues before submission, helping you avoid common mistakes that could affect your case.
The Appeal Package
Our immigration lawyers will review the decision, explain why it was refused and advise on the strongest option available to you, including an appeal, review or fresh application where appropriate.
We will examine the reasons for refusal, identify weaknesses or errors, assess your available options and provide the legal support and representation your case requires.
The Fast Track Package
Our Fast-Track Application Package gives your case priority with our immigration lawyers, helping you get your application prepared, checked and submitted as quickly as possible.
Your case receives priority handling, including accelerated document reviews, application preparation, communication with your caseworker and submission support.
