want to bring my foreign spouse back to ireland

bazzare

im in thailand at the moment and will be getting married next month to a thai lady

once the wedding is over then I will submit all the paperwork to the Irish consulate here because our plan is to go back to Ireland to live ASAP

has anybody had experience of the whole procedure you have to go through..? how difficult is it these days ?

how long does it usually take to get the visa for a foreign spouse to get residence in Ireland... i know each place and nationality is judged differently, but how long should i expect the whole process to be

Im quite stressed as i dont think it will be easy,as I have been studying as a mature student for the last 4 years and just working part time.Plus when i go back to Ireland in September I hope to recommence studying for a masters

so i don't have much real income to show them and that's apparently what they judge each application on, would it be alot easier if i had a proper job lined up.

Once she is in Ireland I assume she is entitled to work without any hassle, and that her visa will be indefinite,

It just seems that with her being Thai that its that little bit more complicated, and difficult. I've heard stories of people waiting ages just to get holiday visas but surely marriage is different and getting a spouse visa should be more straightforward.

What happens if they turn her application down,Is there any way they can refuse her the visa, where does that leave us, is there any way people can appeal.

Surely under EU law is it her right to come to Ireland once she is legally married to me

just wondering if there is anything I can do to make it easier for us and improve our chances,I would really appreciate any advice from anyone who has been through a similar experience

thecommander

Would it not be wise to speak to the consulate before you go ahead with the marriage?

bazzare

I have an appointment with the consulate this week to sign papers that permit me to marry, will have a better idea of where I stand then.

As far as I know your wife won't be allowed to work for 12-18 months. Could be different now.

http://www.movetoireland.com/movepag/papnoneuspouse.htm

thaiwolf

hi bazzare ,


right i have experience of this but my difference was that i was an EU citizen living in ireland i.e not irish. Are you irish?

The procedure of getting married in Thailand is not too bad but be prepared for long winded paperwork and to spend alot of time in the ministry of foreign affairs in bangkok.

Every document you have needs to be translated into English by a certified translator and then stamped for its authenticity.

Will your future wife be changing her name too because that also presents a problem as she has to do this in her home town as the ID card needs to be changed.

The visa process will be difficult but the staff in the irish consultant are very nice and its not too busy.

There are many visa agencies which can help you with the process but be prepared for it to be all long winded and it will cost you a few baht if you use them.

All the info is available on the net so start your research. The main thing you have to prove to the irish goverment is that the relationship is genuine so keep evdience i.e emails , photos , flight tickets etc. The problem which you will have is that you cannot guarantee that your wife will be a burden on society funds as you do not have a job.

This is the website you really need to check out and will answer all your questions

http://www.inis.gov.ie/

Any questions about the marriage please let me know as i have done all this before

And yes it was worth it!!

TomBeckett

Hello Bazzare,
Its not easy; the Irish immigration are a shower of mean people. I got so pissed off at their meanness, I just moved here. My other half has been to Ireland 3 times on holiday visas and every time you apply you get the same hassle :mad:. It took her about 4 months to get the first visa and with a lot of hassle - getting bank statements, copies of passports, letters from work, ect. Crazy - all for a flipping holiday. After that, the other times took about a month or 5 weeks to arrive, but every time you have to get the same documents. Another thing: you are living here now. Why on earth would you want to go back there? Thais do not like cold weather, and cold to them is anything under 28 degrees! When herself was there, after about a month she wanted to go home. I'm living here over 2 years now, and last March i had to go back to Ireland for a friend's wedding and they messed around with her visa, so I ended up getting very angry with them and told them what they could do with their visa :D. I wish you all the best with the wedding and the visa as its anything but easy and very frustrating.

By the way, the consulate has moved from Lumpini Plaza, you prob know this.

Fysh Sez:

I have edited this post to make it a little bit more readable and tone down the language. I understand that dealing with immigration authorities is almost always a frustrating and stressful experience, but posts written while angry make it harder for others to benefit from your experience.