EEA moving to Ireland

[Ssw1992]

Hi I wondered if someone could give me advice. I am English with a British passport. My dad is Greek & my mum is Northern Irish. Ive been in a relationship for nearly 3 years to an Albanian guy. We have all the proof needed throughout his stay in the UK however I do not earn the £18,600 required. We have spoken to solicitors about his time here illegally and he managed to go home before getting in any trouble. We are due to get married and I'm wondering what our next step is.

Unless I earn the money I cant bring him back here. I am thinking to move to a different country so that we can be together as living in my own country is becoming hard and I cant have a life like this.

If I was to go to Dublin and register for jobs/houses... if I find something is it possible to bring him with me and live there together after or during brexit. I could live there happily, I have family in Belfast and I think as long as we are together it will be great. If brexit happens while we are there would they send us back to our original countries?? Or would they allow us to stay in Ireland? Or would they stop me returning to England with my husband. I don't want to give up my house and car and cancel my car insurance if its all for nothing because of brexit.

So do we have our wedding and then travel together and show our marriage certificate at Dublin airport. Or shall I go alone and set up a life and then apply for a visa for him to join me in Ireland? He needs a visa apparently as the website says. What are the chances of this working? I wouldn't mind actually living there and not doing surinder singh but what if brexit starts and they wont let us back into England. I have a younger brother and sister here who might depend on me one day and I don't want to get stuck in Ireland. I would like to have the choice. I would be going with some savings and hoping that I find a job and a property within the first 3 months. What happens if I don't will we both be sent back? Thank you

[Wanderer]

I think SS will be dead in the water pretty soon, it's already on the radar of both UKVI and INIS and with Brexit looming too, there won't be enough time to sort it before then.

It's all very much up the air, but one thing is for sure, Brexit will happen and best to plan for the worst outcome.

If I were you I'd sort yourself out in Dublin first, bring your husband over and wait and see. Build a proper centre of life and after that if Brexit looks bad try the SS route, or reenter UK under UK rules which will be even tougher no doubt but no tougher than any other individual country in the World. EU FoM has skewed our view on easy migration, was good while it lasted.

I'm in Dublin now, just a word of warning, it's very hard to find somewhere to live here, the failed Celtic Tiger has landed property owners with huge mortgages and it's the renter who pays, your talking 2000 Euro a month for just a room in City centre, I'm paying 1100 Euro for a studio on the Northside about 20 mins from the City centre. The good new is lots of jobs especially in finance, lots going on in the IFSC but aside from that, it's expensive, even the Docs isn't free, 60 euro a visit and you still get to pay PRSI and USC as well as income tax.

Don't ever hope to afford a decent car either lol!!

[shpirtshqipe]

Hi there,

Whilst the previous post has a point in my opinion he's being far too negative.

Firstly Brexit negotiations have just begun therefore current rules apply. Things are getting harder I admit but not impossible so time is of essence for you to move.

Secondly, irrespective of Brexit, the UK and Ireland have a special unilateral agreement which in many respects guarantees citizens of these two countries to remain without restrictions beyond the EU. Therefore very likely you'll be able to stay in Ireland once the UK officially leaves the Union. As you also have Irish heritage that can be an option to explore if by some miracle the aforementioned agreement is abolished, which it won't.

As Albania isn't part of the EU he definitively needs a visa to enter Ireland. You'll need to apply in Athens for his visa as that's the nearest Irish embassy in that part of the world.

You're saying he lived in the U.K. so hopefully his command of English is good enough to get a job?

If you both are prepared to take the risk of moving over to Ireland then I'd advise don't be picky with the jobs front. Get yourself a job in Ireland that's in demand like working as a care assistant etc. Once you have a full time job and your hubby-to-be works full time too then financially you should be fine over here. Not everything revolves around Dublin so look further afield such as Cork etc.

So your first priority will be to move your centre of life to Ireland. This means moving over here, find a job, a place to live, get your PPSN (National insurance number) and open a current account. Obviously register for as many utility bills as possible which can be used as proof of residence in Ireland.

If you're quick by the end of the 3-4 months you should be well established and ready to proceed with getting your man a visa.

Just tell your guy to pack plenty of Raki and Fasule once he is over in Ireland as the wait for the 5 year residence card can be lengthy.

You never know, moving to Ireland may be a positive life changing experience (as it was for me) so I have no intentions whatsoever of going back to the UK anytime soon

All the best

[Wanderer]

Hi there,

Whilst the previous post has a point in my opinion he's being far too negative.

That was me being positive!

I must admit I am finding Dublin more expensive to live in than Copenhagen were I was working previously, where I was earning double and paying less tax!

I have to go where the work is though, I do love it here, but it's not cheap there's no Greggs.......

[Ssw1992]

Thank you both for the replies. So would he apply from home via the website for up to 3 months visiting and then extended to residency once he arrives? How come he would need to apply in Athens? I think ive just lost my job so im thinking while im not committed to anything I might book a flight and hotel for 1 week and see how I get on in Cork.. if im having no luck then il book a hotel for another week at a time and see if I manage to find a job.

His English is good, im in two minds whether to just move to a new country together because at least we can be together. The problem is I cant move to Albania.. we wouldn't survive there are no opportunities for him let alone me. So maybe another country but I have no skills for a visa and I was banking on Europe but because of us leaving the EU im very worried.

Im so confused right now and I'm so upset with my country I feel let down. There is no way we would ever claim benefits or put ourselves in a stupid situation like having a child that we cant afford. All my English friends from school have children and are all on benefits they have no intention of working. But the government does nothing about it. Its so frustrating. The system isn't fair, if you want to work and pay tax and give something to this country, I feel that I would welcome you in... its a shame that so many people are against immigration. Especially when you are married or have children with a British Citizen you should be allowed to be together.

[shpirtshqipe]

There's no Irish embassy in Albania so the nearest one is in Athens, Greece. I'm not sure if the same goes for fiancé/spouse visa but he may be able to apply online for Single entry C visa and then post the application form with all supporting documents and his passport to the Irish embassy in Athens. Obviously he can only apply for the C visa once you are here in Ireland and established your centre of life as previously mentioned.

Once he is here then apply for the 5 year residence card. DO NOT apply for the residence card whilst he is in Albania as this can take longer to be processed meaning you will be apart for longer.

Your other option would indeed be to consider another EU country where your husband-to-be won't need visa for travel however bear in mind that you need to be in employment whichever the country may be. I'd say though that although he requires a visa for Ireland, because of your circumstances and the fact that it is an English speaking country it would be your best bet.

This is not for everyone but maybe consider a job as a healthcare assistant in a nursing or residential home or even hospital in Ireland? This kinda a job is fairly secure, long term and will give you a steady income so long as you can commit to it as with any other job.

Visiting Cork or Dublin is a good start so you can look for jobs but I'd also say plan ahead and do your homework by searching the internet and apply for as many jobs as possible. Flights to Ireland are 2-3times a day so that won't be an issue.

[Wise]

The advise given to you by (shpirtshqipe) was spot on. That person understand how immigration works.
To me if you follow it things will be okay with time. As soon as you're there start to apply for Health care assistant job either through an agencies or care home to stabilize yourself and later change your job to anyone of your choice.


If you follow brexit news today all Irish in Uk are not affected by any of the measure, why, because of the agreement between them UK and i don't see it changing after brexit at all.

Best of Luck.

[JAJ]

Hi I wondered if someone could give me advice. I am English with a British passport. My dad is Greek & my mum is Northern Irish.

In that case, you're a British citizen but also (if your mother was born in Northern Ireland) an Irish citizen and you may also be a Greek citizen.

Options include:
1. Sponsor under U.K. domestic law; [+variant- if you moved to Northern Ireland, your husband may be able to naturalise as an Irish citizen as well as British].
2. As an Irish citizen - it appears you may be Irish or entitled to be Irish- sponsor for residence under Irish domestic law if you're settled in Ireland.
3. Surinder Singh residence sponsorship to Ireland [Unless the Irish treat you as an Irish citizen- if your only claim to citizenship is a Northern Irish mother and have never had an Irish passport, they may or may not do so].
4. Surinder Singh sponsorship to another EEA state- except perhaps Greece (since you may also be Greek), although in this case you would have to consider how your husband would access local citizenship in due course. It's a lot harder in some countries vs. others.

How far are you away from the earnings threshold to sponsor for a U.K. spouse visa? Is it possible to raise your earnings by doing overtime, etc. Also, have you discussed with immigration solicitors whether his U.K. immigration history is a likely bar to long term settlement. If considering options for Ireland, you should discuss with an Irish immigration solicitor- especially if you're considering uprooting yourself.