Moving to Ireland for Spouse Visa

Hello.

I have been in a relationship with my girlfriend for over 2 years, she is from Thailand and I am from Scotland. I have been going to visit her multiple times per year while trying to prepare ourselves to get a UK spouse visa, she is studying English and I am trying to reach the £18600 per year income requirement but it seems very hard for me to do this where I live, last year I hit just short of £17000 and I am losing patience.

I want to try moving to Dublin and applying for a visa for her to live me with there in Ireland because I have read it is much easier than the UK visa system. Maybe we will try to move to Scotland again after she is in Ireland or maybe not. Can anyone that knows how this works break it down for me, what exactly do we have to do to get her the spouse visa in Ireland?

Thank you.

As the primary question is about moving to Ireland, topic moved to the Ireland forum.

You can look for information on the Surinder Singh route, but basically you need to exercise your EU treaty rights which means getting a job in Ireland. You then move there and apply for a visa under the EU system rather than the Irish one, which is much easier.

You will need to establish that your relationship is genuine. It might be easier if you can get married first, because then the marriage certificate is usually all you need.

She will go to Ireland on a short term visit visa, then when there apply for the right to stay which can take six months to a year as I understand it. During that time she can stay in Ireland with you.

Keep in mind that with Brexit coming you may need to hurry. No one can say for sure what will happen but the clock is definitely ticking.

Thank you very much for your info. I have done some more research and I have found both of the visas we would need to apply for. But first I have to move to Ireland and rent a home to live in, can I do this without having a job in Ireland? My plan would be to rent a home and then look for work. How strict are the rules for renting homes in Ireland? Can I pay 3-6 months rent up front or do they require you to show a contract of employment before considering you as a tenant?


Another question I have is about Brexit. The British Isles has a common travel area that lets all citizens of the British Isles live and work in each country. So am I correct in thinking that even when Brexit happens and the UK leaves the EU, a UK citizen can still live and work in the Republic of Ireland?


Thank you.

I don't know about renting without a job, seems like unless you have substantial savings you might find it hard to get somewhere. I suppose 6 months rent up front on a 6 month lease might work.

Better to find a job online, interview via Skype etc. That's what I'm doing.

When Brexit happens no one knows what will happen. You might be forced to come back to the UK in the worst possible case, but I think that is extremely unlikely. Chances are you will be able to stay, but who knows on what basis or what will happen to your wife.