Awaiting De Facto Residency Application

Hi all,

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure i'm not the only one who has felt incredibly frustrated in dealing with the Irish Immigration.
I am an Australian National who moved to Ireland in February 2014 with my Irish partner. I came over on a Work Authorisation, which permits me to work for 12 months. (don't even get my started on the stuff up I had with immigration when they stamped my passport wrong and I entered work).

Anyway, in October 2014 I sent of a very thorough application for De Facto residency. My application included a contents page, tabs dividing the sections - birth certs, statements from family and friends, statement from my work, joint bank statements, joint tenancy leases and bills, cards and invitations sent to the both of us and lots more.

I have emailed them a second time (today), and they have told me they are only reviewing applications from July. Which can't be true because they were only reviewing applications from June when I ask in October. Surely it doesn't take that long?
Here's the real problem though, my work authorisation expires on some date in February, and I will be required to cease my employment, however I am still permitted to stay until I get a repsonse. That means I could be sitting about for 6months with no work... Do I have any options!?

Hi there, we got a similar response this week re timeframes. INIS said they were currently only opening applications received in August 2013. Seeing as we only put in our application in December, it could be May 2015 by the time they get to us. We asked the girl to reconfirm the timeframes and she said "6 - 9 months" to process.

The process for applying for an Irish de facto visa is a joke, especially as you can only apply when you are in Ireland. Irish emigrants are being encouraged to come home yet when we try to bring our non-Irish partners with us, we are at the mercy of an outdated and inefficient immigration system. And while we wait, we mill through our savings, pay for expensive health insurance, etc.

Seriously questioning why we bothered to come home.

Sorry, not much help to you. I think you could try getting your employer to sponsor you, but I'm not sure I that's still an option? I've been away from ireland for over 9 years.

Best of luck!

Hi how did you get on? what was the processing time?

They took 3 months to reply.
They rejected my application. The sent me my refusal a week after my work permit expired.

Sorry to hear that. Seems unfair that they just refused without requesting further documents. Hope it works out for you.

That's because there's no more documentation i could have given! I had everything.

I just think they are extremely reluctant in granting residency unless you'er married.
Thanks

Yea, I think your probably right. Did they give a good reason for refusal? Sounds like you included everything required. Are u together over a year?

At the time of applying I was two months off of 2 years, however once they actually got to looking it would have been 2 years.
That was their main reason for refusing. The other reason is because in the time of 2 years living together, there was a few months where we lived together at someone's house, and they said this is "unlike marriage".

Sorry to hear that. Hope things work out for you both.

We're getting married later this year, so yeah all good!

Thank you