US citizen moving to Ireland

nicla_marino

Hello,
I would like to have some information about moving to Ireland. My boyfriend is an American citizen with Irish roots (Great grandparents). We were considering moving to Ireland for 1-2 years. I am European, so there won t be any problem for me to work and live there but he s an non-eu resident, a plumber/carpenter (I ve seen that it s included in the ineligible professions).
He s interested in sound technicians jobs aswell is there a way for us to move? Even taking advantage of my EU passport?

Thanks!

Speedwell

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/moving_to_ireland/rights_of_residence_in_ireland/residence_rights_of_family_members.html

Briefly, if your boyfriend has been living with you for 2 or more years and you can document this, you may be able to bring him in under the "durable relationship" provision. You should do all you can to show that you can financially sponsor him in the event he is unable to find work. This may require you to arrange to move and find a place to live and work before you apply for residency for him. Since he is an American he will be able to visit you here for up to 90 days at a time as a visitor without a separate visa.

Whether his Irish ancestry qualifies him to apply for Irish citizenship is a complicated matter, but briefly, if it's just his great-grandparents, it's unlikely it will help. Refer to this: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/irish_citizenship/irish_citizenship_through_birth_or_descent.html

nicla_marino

Speedwell wrote: »

Briefly, if your boyfriend has been living with you for 2 or more years and you can document this, you may be able to bring him in under the "durable relationship" provision. You should do all you can to show that you can financially sponsor him in the event he is unable to find work.

Thanks for the reply! Unfortunately, since he's American we have been having a long distance relationship for most of it (Only spent 5 actual months together).

That's the worst part! We can't be together neither in the us nor in Europe for more than 3 months per time!

Speedwell

nicla_marino wrote: »

Thanks for the reply! Unfortunately, since he's American we have been having a long distance relationship for most of it (Only spent 5 actual months together).

That's the worst part! We can't be together neither in the us nor in Europe for more than 3 months per time!

I'm the American and my husband is the Irishman in our relationship. We know your situation from both ends. We decided to marry, but we were both in our 40s and it made sense to us (and we got married in the UK, where he would need a wedding visa anyway... still far and away easier than applying for a residency visa). If marriage does not make sense for you, do not attempt it just to get around immigration... it will add the stress of a failed marriage to the stress of a failed immigration.

nicla_marino

Speedwell wrote: »

nicla_marino wrote: »

Thanks for the reply! Unfortunately, since he's American we have been having a long distance relationship for most of it (Only spent 5 actual months together).

That's the worst part! We can't be together neither in the us nor in Europe for more than 3 months per time!

I'm the American and my husband is the Irishman in our relationship. We know your situation from both ends. We decided to marry, but we were both in our 40s and it made sense to us (and we got married in the UK, where he would need a wedding visa anyway... still far and away easier than applying for a residency visa). If marriage does not make sense for you, do not attempt it just to get around immigration... it will add the stress of a failed marriage to the stress of a failed immigration.

We are both 24 years old, so pretty young. BUT we want to be together, we did actually consider marriage but we also know that it's not something to be taken lightly. We would just like to spend some time together before actually getting married, avoiding a long distance relationship that might be only an illusion.

Unfortunately every road seems to be closed for us! Whenever we choose to do (Apply for a fianc visa for the us, working visa, etc) will lead us to be apart for at least 2 years or something.

Speedwell

nicla_marino wrote: »

We are both 24 years old, so pretty young. BUT we want to be together, we did actually consider marriage but we also know that it's not something to be taken lightly. We would just like to spend some time together before actually getting married, avoiding a long distance relationship that might be only an illusion.

Unfortunately every road seems to be closed for us! Whenever we choose to do (Apply for a fianc visa for the us, working visa, etc) will lead us to be apart for at least 2 years or something.

Oh, honey. Fiance visas to the US don't take that long. Several months, yes, but not years, not when the non-US partner is European. Even a full US green card for my husband only took eight months. You can still visit each other from time to time during the process so long as you carefully observe the rules.

But, as you say, marriage is still something for the future, if ever. Thanks for being mature about this; I've seen many marriages that seemed like a good idea just for immigration go sour, and then the immigrant is in a special kind of trouble.

nicla_marino

Speedwell wrote: »

nicla_marino wrote: »

We are both 24 years old, so pretty young. BUT we want to be together, we did actually consider marriage but we also know that it's not something to be taken lightly. We would just like to spend some time together before actually getting married, avoiding a long distance relationship that might be only an illusion.

Unfortunately every road seems to be closed for us! Whenever we choose to do (Apply for a fianc visa for the us, working visa, etc) will lead us to be apart for at least 2 years or something.

Oh, honey. Fiance visas to the US don't take that long. Several months, yes, but not years, not when the non-US partner is European. Even a full US green card for my husband only took eight months. You can still visit each other from time to time during the process so long as you carefully observe the rules.

But, as you say, marriage is still something for the future, if ever. Thanks for being mature about this; I've seen many marriages that seemed like a good idea just for immigration go sour, and then the immigrant is in a special kind of trouble.

Thanks for listening to me!
We have been considering Ireland just because of this: spending 1-2 years living together and then eventually, if things would have worked out, getting married am move in the US. Italy (I am from Italy) is excluded since he cant speak Italian.Working visa for the us awell (I don t have enough experience to be qualified for a job in the US). We even considered taking a gap year and spend it together traveling and volunteering! But then again, visiting and spending time on vacation together is not the best way to understand if that person is the right one if you get my point!

Speedwell

nicla_marino wrote: »

Thanks for listening to me!
We have been considering Ireland just because of this: spending 1-2 years living together and then eventually, if things would have worked out, getting married am move in the US. Italy (I am from Italy) is excluded since he cant speak Italian.Working visa for the us awell (I don t have enough experience to be qualified for a job in the US). We even considered taking a gap year and spend it together traveling and volunteering! But then again, visiting and spending time on vacation together is not the best way to understand if that person is the right one if you get my point!

Ehhhh... that's what my husband and I did, actually But you're right, it's really risky.

Just for reference... if the time should come when you think it is something you want to do, you might want to consider a case commonly referred to as "Surinder Singh", in which a citizen of an EU country exercising free movement rights within the EU can have their partner apply for an EEA family permit (normally for work; you would qualify if you were traveling to find or accept a job in an EU country of which you were not a citizen). You cannot use this case to justify bringing your partner to any country of which you are a citizen, so my husband, who is from Northern Ireland and has both Irish and British citizenship, cannot use it to bring me to the UK. It is well known to Europeans seeking to take their non-EU partner to the UK, since the case was in the UK, but it is, I understand, binding on the EU as a whole. If this is something that interests you, talk to an immigration solicitor in the country you are planning to move to, as policies and cases might well have changed by then.

Edit: Does your boyfriend have parents or grandparents who were born in a European country? He may qualify to apply for citizenship in that country and become a European citizen himself. I myself qualify for both Hungarian and Italian citizenship by these rules (assuming I speak either language and can provide documents to prove my ancestry), and I may or may not consider looking into it someday.

nicla_marino

Speedwell wrote: »

nicla_marino wrote: »

Thanks for listening to me!
We have been considering Ireland just because of this: spending 1-2 years living together and then eventually, if things would have worked out, getting married am move in the US. Italy (I am from Italy) is excluded since he cant speak Italian.Working visa for the us awell (I don t have enough experience to be qualified for a job in the US). We even considered taking a gap year and spend it together traveling and volunteering! But then again, visiting and spending time on vacation together is not the best way to understand if that person is the right one if you get my point!

Ehhhh... that's what my husband and I did, actually But you're right, it's really risky.

Just for reference... if the time should come when you think it is something you want to do, you might want to consider a case commonly referred to as "Surinder Singh", in which a citizen of an EU country exercising free movement rights within the EU can have their partner apply for an EEA family permit (normally for work; you would qualify if you were traveling to find or accept a job in an EU country of which you were not a citizen). You cannot use this case to justify bringing your partner to any country of which you are a citizen, so my husband, who is from Northern Ireland and has both Irish and British citizenship, cannot use it to bring me to the UK. It is well known to Europeans seeking to take their non-EU partner to the UK, since the case was in the UK, but it is, I understand, binding on the EU as a whole. If this is something that interests you, talk to an immigration solicitor in the country you are planning to move to, as policies and cases might well have changed by then.

Thanks! I'll definitely keep that in mind but still, marriage would be the start...and we considered Ireland to move be together "as soon as possible". I've just moved back from Scotland to Italy...and with all the Brexit thing I am not sure how things are going to evolve.

Oh so you did like traveling around the world? How did it go?

My boyfriend even personally knows the Irish ambassador in the US, but who know if she can help in some way! We still have to ask, the Ireland is kind of a new idea, I've been told by a lady whose job is to give visa advices in the uk for US citizens and she told it would have been easy for my bf to get a working permit there...even if it doesn't seem so honestly!

Au pair visa would not make any sense it's I'd want to live with him and not with my host family, school are way to expensive for me, Green card lottery seems to be at times the best option! Which is crazy!

Dardania

A guy I went to school with was in similar situation- he (Irish), she (American)
He went to the US to work (he had an accountancy qualification) so he was able to support himself

As a veteran of what started as an Erasmus relationship, living together in real life was important to us so your ambitions and instincts here are very sound I believe.

With your boyfriend being ineligible for employment, what's the source on that, as I can imagine with the current economic situation, work wouldn't be too difficult to get for him (and so eligibility to stay)

Speedwell

nicla_marino wrote: »

Thanks! I'll definitely keep that in mind but still, marriage would be the start...and we considered Ireland to move be together "as soon as possible". I've just moved back from Scotland to Italy...and with all the Brexit thing I am not sure how things are going to evolve.

Oh so you did like traveling around the world? How did it go?

My boyfriend even personally knows the Irish ambassador in the US, but who know if she can help in some way! We still have to ask, the Ireland is kind of a new idea, I've been told by a lady whose job is to give visa advices in the uk for US citizens and she told it would have been easy for my bf to get a working permit there...even if it doesn't seem so honestly!

Au pair visa would not make any sense it's I'd want to live with him and not with my host family, school are way to expensive for me, Green card lottery seems to be at times the best option! Which is crazy!

It's very crazy! It's nice that the immigration advisor in the UK is positive about your boyfriend's work permit chances, but he would first have to have a firm job offer and the company would have to pay his visa expenses and guarantee his living expenses, and since you're correct that his profession is not on the list of preferred professions, it seems a little more difficult than she makes it sound. Yes, my husband and I looked into it, lol.

The Irish ambassador is not involved in the visa process, but I say that it cannot hurt to ask her if she can help in any way. Similarly, if you want to move to the US someday, your boyfriend may be able to get help from the immigration staffer who works for one or the other of his state's Senators. I had to do that myself when my husband's green card application got lost going from one office to the other. They'd rather help at the beginning of the process, when things are easy, than to have to help clean up a mess that happened because things went wrong. There's no harm entering the green card lottery, either... if they give you a slot, and you don't need it, you just tell them and they'll give it to the next person in line.

Funny you should mention Scotland. We were married in Aberdeen, while I was on a business trip We wanted to move there, but they changed the rules when we were married only one year, so we wound up in Ireland. Confidentially, I would be happy enough here even if we never moved to Scotland. I'm also loving the feeling of being in a place that feels like home, though I like traveling too.

Keep looking and doing your research. Laws change. Jobs change. Economies change. Things get harder and they get easier. If you really want a chance and prepare for it, you'll probably get one. I wish you lots of luck!

nicla_marino

Dardania wrote: »

A guy I went to school with was in similar situation- he (Irish), she (American)
He went to the US to work (he had an accountancy qualification) so he was able to support himself

As a veteran of what started as an Erasmus relationship, living together in real life was important to us so your ambitions and instincts here are very sound I believe.

With your boyfriend being ineligible for employment, what's the source on that, as I can imagine with the current economic situation, work wouldn't be too difficult to get for him (and so eligibility to stay)

You mean for him to work in Ireland? We both would love that but we have to make some researches. The ineligibility thing definitely freaked me out a bit I have to be honest. Not to be intrusive for you situation, but how did you menage to live together? During the Erasmus?

Dardania

nicla_marino wrote: »

Dardania wrote: »

A guy I went to school with was in similar situation- he (Irish), she (American)
He went to the US to work (he had an accountancy qualification) so he was able to support himself

As a veteran of what started as an Erasmus relationship, living together in real life was important to us so your ambitions and instincts here are very sound I believe.

With your boyfriend being ineligible for employment, what's the source on that, as I can imagine with the current economic situation, work wouldn't be too difficult to get for him (and so eligibility to stay)

You mean for him to work in Ireland? We both would love that but we have to make some researches. The ineligibility thing definitely freaked me out a bit I have to be honest. Not to be intrusive for you situation, but how did you menage to live together? During the Erasmus?

Absolutely I mean for him to work - it's all down to whether his visa would allow that of course....

living together wasn't possible for my now wife and I during Erasmus - we were living in the country we met whilst studying. But she and I are both from Europe, so no issues with visas etc. when we both decided to live & work in Ireland. I was only raising the topic of a success from an Erasmus relationship, to agree with your idea that you should live with your boyfriend in a normal relationship with normal day-to-day obligations

There might be other countries in Europe that you could consider - Finland for example is very foreigner friendly, with the use of English in day to day life...

nicla_marino

Dardania wrote: »

nicla_marino wrote: »

Dardania wrote: »

A guy I went to school with was in similar situation- he (Irish), she (American)
He went to the US to work (he had an accountancy qualification) so he was able to support himself

As a veteran of what started as an Erasmus relationship, living together in real life was important to us so your ambitions and instincts here are very sound I believe.

With your boyfriend being ineligible for employment, what's the source on that, as I can imagine with the current economic situation, work wouldn't be too difficult to get for him (and so eligibility to stay)

You mean for him to work in Ireland? We both would love that but we have to make some researches. The ineligibility thing definitely freaked me out a bit I have to be honest. Not to be intrusive for you situation, but how did you menage to live together? During the Erasmus?

Absolutely I mean for him to work - it's all down to whether his visa would allow that of course....

living together wasn't possible for my now wife and I during Erasmus - we were living in the country we met whilst studying. But she and I are both from Europe, so no issues with visas etc. when we both decided to live & work in Ireland. I was only raising the topic of a success from an Erasmus relationship, to agree with your idea that you should live with your boyfriend in a normal relationship with normal day-to-day obligations

There might be other countries in Europe that you could consider - Finland for example is very foreigner friendly, with the use of English in day to day life...

Oh I see...unfortunately his profession (plumbing and carpentery) seems to be totally unrequired to get a working permit. He d like to find a job as a sound technician aswell but I am not sure if he has enough skills to prove he s actually necessary for the job (and so get the permit).

So you suggest for him lo look for a job in the plumbing anyway?