EU1 Queries

Hi guys, how are you doing?

Well, I have some questions about EU1, in fact, I am a bit worried. I am Brazilian in a civil partnership with a Spanish national. I have sent all the documents for the residence card on the 27th of November by registered post, and they got the documents on Friday (28th) morning. With our application we enclosed a written request asking for our passports to be returned with urgency for travelling purposes, attaching our flight with it. We'll be flying on the 27th of December for New Years to Spain.

The next step should be a letter to be sent to our address saying that they have got our application, right? (Please, anyone, correct me if I am wrong) - Then, send our passports back and a letter asking us to go to the immigration to get a provisory stamp 4, up to 6 months while they are processing the application. To be honest I read somewhere that this is how they do.

Can someone explain to me how the process works. And what are the next steps. I think it is taking to long, at least to send the first letter.
In fact, I wonder if I should send an email to the EU Treaty Rights, reporting on the urgency of the application.

Thanks!

The next step is for them to return your passports and original documents by registered post. If they are satisfied your application is valid this will also include the letter to go to the GNIB and get you temporary stamp 4 (which will be valid until 6 months after the day they received your application) - otherwise they will let you know what you are missing and request you to send it to them.

They are processing applications in the same order they receive them and will not process yours faster because you are planning a trip (which is actually fair, it makes sense that someone who submitted an application before you gets an answer before you and that someone who submitted after you get their answer after you - and most people will probably be traveling during the Christmas period, they cannot decide that someone's travel is more important than someone else's).

I am not sure what the current delay is for this first step, but if you send them an email they should be able to tell you what their current backlog is. In the last few years the delays have usually been between 1 and 2 months depending on how busy they are.

If you absolutely need your passports back, you can email them to ask and they should tell you that you can come collect them at their office. Not sure whether this could delay the application though.

Hi Jeupsy,

Thank you for your reply.

Well, I definitely agree with you. But on Inis website it says: "If you require a passport or national identity card to be returned for the purpose of travelling, please enclose a written request with your application, or send same to: EU Treaty Rights Section, Irish Naturalisation & Immigration Service, 13-14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2." This is what I did. If nothing happens tomorrow, by that I mean, if I don't get the documents back, I should probably e-mail and let them know about it.

In any case I need our documents back, not only for Christmas but we have another flight scheduled by the end of January, as well.

Yes agreed he way they are doing things doesn't match the statement on their website :-/

You are right that if you want you documents back you should definitely start emailing them this week.

It will probably possible to communicate with them until the end of next week, but after that expect them not to be very responsive until after the new year as most of them will be on holidays.

jeupsy wrote:Yes agreed he way they are doing things doesn't match the statement on their website :-/

You are right that if you want you documents back you should definitely start emailing them this week.

It will probably possible to communicate with them until the end of next week, but after that expect them not to be very responsive until after the new year as most of them will be on holidays.

Hi Jeupsy,

I sent them an email and they gave me an automatic reply saying that they couldn't prioritise anyone and etc., but fortunately yesterday they sent our passports with a letter with my INIS number and stating that they were returning our passports. Yayy!!

By now I believe that they have processed my application, right? I thought they would send me a letter to get the temporary stamp 4. But from what I heard this letter might be issued within 3 to 5 weeks. Is that true? I am leaving the country on the 27th of December and will be back on the 4th. Should I bring this letter from INIS with me to show the immigration that I am currently applying to the resident visa? (Plus my civil partnership certificate - btw my partner is going with me, so I think it should be fine coming back to the State)

I think even though their reply was a generic one, they did expedite the review of your passport so that they could send them back. They have however not completed the initial step of your application (ie reviewed the rest of your documents) which is why they didn't send you the Stamp 4 letter or a list of what is missing (usually they would include either of these two things when thy are returning the passports). You will probably get the letter sometime in the first half of January.

Since Brazilian nationals don't require a visa and you do have the letter from INIS, I think there should be no problem to come back to Ireland.