Hi there,
Well, coming over here to visit is no problem but if you plan to stay longer & get a job, the red tape becomes a bit more of a tangle.
Great thing is that you are from the States so you don't need a entry visa, just a return ticket, & like you said you can stay up to 90 days with no problem.
Working over here as a non-EU national has become increasingly difficult (well, more paperwork & rules) then when I first came over 'bout 6 years ago. You say you don't have any Irish relatives, are a financial planner & early 30's & assuming you don't have an EU spouse, you would be applying to stay here based on your own credentials.
Basically, a non-EU can work in Ireland under 2 systems: (1) Work Permit (WP) & (2) Work Authorization (WA). Now you say that you don't have the wanted 'skills' that the Irish gov't put forward that allow you to apply for a WA, so the WP is your option:
-To get a WP, you must first find a job.
-The employer must then offer the position to any/all Irish people then any/all EU people through placing the job advert with FAS (the Irish employment agency).
-The job must be listed publically for a certain amount of time with FAS (think it's 4 weeks) then if no other Irish/EU citizen is interested, the job can be offered to you.
-The employer applies for & pays for the WP in your name but is held by them.
-WP are granted for 1 month-to 1 year with most people having an annual WP which costs 500Euro.
-You cannot work while the application is being processed & it may take 6-8 weeks for the application to be approved.
-You cannot change jobs with the one WP, each WP is given per job, so if you want to change employers, the whole process starts again.
-Once you get your WP (well given it from your employer) you take it to your local Garda station (as required by law) where an immigration officer will stamp your passport & give you a credit-card size registration card good for the time your WP is valid. The registration card used to be free but since May 2006 it now costs us 100Euro. Simple eh?
It should be noted that the Irish Immigration system over here is kinda going through an overhaul with new ideas & suggestions for migrant workers being reported in the news & from various political parties. Announcements have been made over the last while of Green Cards being introduced & changes to residency & the Work Permit giving the employee more freedoms. As far as I know, none of these ideas have been formally/legally introduced, they are still at discussion stages. Anyway, to me the Green Card idea really just sounds like another version of the Work Authorization/Visa scheme aimed at attracting the people to fill the positions that the gov't feel are at a 'skill shortage' but who knows?
The Dept of Justice
www.justice.ie handle all immigration issues & any/all new rules & processess will be found on that website. They make the rules. If you go onto the home page, all new Press Releases are listed there & the site has a 'Citizenship/immigration' section listed under Site Guide link where you can download information docs & application forms.
The Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment
www.entemp.ie handle all Work Permit issues with a wide range of information docs available and again, application forms.
Also, I found a gem of a website about ALL things moving/living/working in Ireland called
www.movetoireland.com, just brillant!
BTW, it also should be noted that the media over here insist on pairing Work Permit holders with the term 'un-skilled' which is one of my major pet peeves & I would like to see that term abolished from the language! They make the distinction between the Work Authorization route which is specifically set up by the Irish government to get the workers in the sectors that are particularly needed or understaffed (as deemed necessary by the gov't) & the Work Permit route which is everyone else: Oh...well, you must be 'un-skilled'.....Argh! Anyway, I must step off my soapbox for now.....
Seriously, my advice is to go on these websites & search around. Find out everything you can about moving over here & the immigration options that are open to you. For me, I find that the more I learn, the more confident I feel about being a 'migrant worker' here in Ireland. Keep current! Go on to the websites every few days & look around. The quicker you can access new immigration information, the more empowered you will be to control (the seemingly 'uncontrollable') situation that is being a Migrant worker here in Ireland.
Good luck! It is do-able! You just have to be informed & willing to do want is necessary.
Best Regards,
Maria
