Ireland Long Stay 'D' Visa

As mentioned above, there are several visas under the Long Stay visa Ireland category, and you will have to apply for the specific Long Stay ‘D’ visa that suits your purpose in Ireland. The visas are:

• Study Visa
• Employment Visa
• Family Reunification Visa
• Minister of Religion Visa
• Volunteer Visa

Study Visa

The Ireland Study Visa applies to those travelling to Ireland to study in a higher education institution or a program listed on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP).

If you are coming to study for more than three months, you should apply for the Long Stay Study visa at most three months before your proposed travel date. During the online application process, you will be required to provide documents, including an application letter and proof that you are enrolled in a privately funded course.

Employment Visa

There are four Ireland Long D Employment visas: the General Employment visa, Scientific Researcher visa, Van der Elst visa, and Atypical Working Scheme. They cover employment in Ireland, work done for your current EU employer in Ireland, research, some internships, and more. In addition to the employment visas are employment permits that include the critical skills employment permit, internship employment permit, and so on.

Family Reunification Visa

The Family Reunification or Family Member visa allows foreign nationals to join their family member living in Ireland. The requirements depend on if your family member is an Irish citizen, EEA citizen, or non-EEA national. Also, your relationship with the sponsor will determine the criteria you must meet. A spouse/partner, de facto partner, child, and some other family members are allowed.

Minister of Religion Visa

This visa permits qualifying religious personnel to remain in Ireland for up to three years to work with an eligible religious body or faith community if they can prove there is a need for their services and comply with the requirements for their circumstances.

Holders of this long stay d visa can stay for an initial period of one year and then up to three years. After that, they can apply for three further extensions of one year period each.

Volunteer Visa

The Long Stay Volunteer visa works for individuals who want to go to Ireland for volunteer work purposes, such as working in a non-profit organisation or a charity. With this D visa, you can volunteer in Ireland for two years with the possibility of extending the visa for the third year.

To qualify for the Irish Volunteer visa, you must prove that you are coming to work as a volunteer by providing supporting evidence and documents, including a Letter of Sponsorship from the organisation you are working with.

As you can see from the above, every D visa has its own unique requirements and purpose. You must satisfy the criteria from the Department of Justice and Equality to be able to get an entry permit into Ireland. For assistance, call us on (+353) 061 518 025 today.

You can submit an application for a Long Stay ‘D’ visa to the Immigration Service Delivery via the AVATS Online Irish Visa Application Facility. The first step is to fill the application form for the visa you are applying for on AVATs. After filling the form, the system will create a summary application form. The summary will contain some instructions on how to submit your supporting documents. You should print, sign and date the summary and submit the complete summary form with your supporting documents.

You may also be required to submit a physical Long Stay visa application. Where you submit that differs by the country you apply from; it could be the Dublin visa office or an Irish Embassy.

Also, you may be required to give your biometrics. That means giving your fingerprints and photograph at an Irish Visa Application Center (VAC). China, Hong Kong, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan are some countries whose residents must provide their biometrics as part of the visa application process.

Children under five from the countries required to give biometrics are not required to provide their biometrics during their visa application process. Those aged 5 to 17 must be accompanied by their parent/guardian while giving their biometrics.

We can help you with your Long Stay visa application. Call us on (+353) 061 518 025 or contact us online for assistance or advice.

Before you start your application, you should compile your supporting documents. They differ depending on the visa for which you are applying and your circumstances.

In general, they include:

• The signed summary of the application form
• Two passport-sized photographs
• A valid passport or travel document
• Copies of any previous passports
• A letter of application you wrote stating your reason for travelling to Ireland, any family member you have in the State, and other visa-specific details
• Details of previously refused visas
• Proof that you have sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay
• Proof of medical insurance (though not necessary at the time of visa application, but you must have this when travelling to Ireland)
• Other relevant documentary evidence specific to the type of Long Stay visa you are applying for, such as:
  • Marriage certificate, if you are applying for a Family visa as a spouse of an Irish resident
  • Birth certificate for children of Irish residents when applying for a Family visa
  • Employment contract, if applying for an employment visa
  • Letter of Sponsorship, if it applies

The cost of your visa depends on if it’s a single-entry or multiple-entry visas. The single entry visa is €60, and the multi journey visa is €100.

It’s important to note here that some countries are exempt from the visa fees, including:

Also, the spouse, widow/widower, and child (under 18) of family members of Irish citizens are exempt from visa fees. Qualifying family members of beneficiaries of the Free Movement Directive are exempt from the visa fee as well. Those family members are spouse, children (under 21), dependent parent, dependent parent of spouse, other dependent family members in the direct ascending line or descending line.

An applicant may be required to pay other fees, including the Irish Residence Permit of €300 and private medical insurance premium. Students must have €7,000 in savings, and generally, if you are bringing dependents with you  – regardless of visa – you must have enough money to support not only yourself but also your dependents. Your dependents should apply for their separate Irish visa.

For most Long Stay ‘D’ visas, the processing time is 8 weeks on average from when a foreign national submit their application. If you do not provide enough supporting documents or there are other issues, such as a criminal record, your application may be delayed.

In addition, your application may take longer or shorter depending on the country you apply from and the workload of the VAC or embassy in that country, as well as the other bodies and offices where your application will be sent.

Some of the Long Stay visas take longer, generally. Family Visas are one of those, and that is due to the complexity of each circumstance. Your relationship with the sponsor needs to be verified; the sponsor’s status in Ireland needs to be verified as well. Some Family Reunification visa applications take as long as six or even 12 months to process.

At the end of that time, you should receive a visa decision of visa refusal or approval. If approved, you can travel to Ireland but if denied, you can write an appeal to the Visa Appeals Officer or re-apply.

It is necessary that you seek assistance and support for your Long Stay visa application from experienced Irish immigration lawyers who can help ensure that your application is prepared to the highest standards and all supporting documentation is provided from the start to prevent delays caused by badly prepared applications or missing documents.

For information on how we can help you, please call us on (+353) 061 518 025 or contact us online.