Returning to Ireland with your Australian spouse or de facto partner?
Watch this webinar we delivered with the Irish Support Agency NSW on May 11th 2022 for information on the Irish immigration requirements and how to prepare for the move. Read on to find out more about the process.
Returning with your Australian spouse
Being a spouse or civil partner means that your relationship is legally acknowledged and registered with a civil registration office in the country in which you were married or became civil partners.
On arrival at border control at Dublin Airport, your spouse will need to go to the non-EU queue and state their intention to apply for residence in Ireland on the basis of their marriage to an Irish citizen (you!). They should have your marriage certificate with them, and it is helpful if you are in the same queue in case the border official needs to speak to you. The border official will normally then issue them with permission for up to 90 days.
Once in Ireland your Australian spouse will need to register with a local Immigration Officer for permission to live and work here based on your relationship. Generally, this is a quick and straightforward process but you do need to be prepared – if you don’t have everything you need, you might be requested to make a written application which takes 12 months to process.
Official information on this process is available from www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-join-family-in-ireland/joining-an-irish-national/join-family-visa/.
Returning with your Australian de facto partner
A de facto partnership is a relationship that is similar to marriage but that has not been legally recognised or registered. There are some key requirements to showing you are in a de facto partnership:
- You must have lived together for at least 2 years (this is known as ‘co-habitation’)
- You must be able to prove this using things like joint bank accounts, shared tenancies and other evidence that shows you are in a durable, lasting relationship
Before your Australian de facto partner can come to Ireland they will need to apply for and be granted Pre-Clearance by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS). The application needs to be placed online at www.visas.inis.gov.ie/AVATS/OnlineHome.aspx .
Once ‘pre-clearance’ is granted they can travel to Ireland. On arrival at border control at Dublin Airport, your partner will need to go to the non-EU queue and state their intention to apply for residence in Ireland on the basis of their relationship with an Irish citizen (you!). They should have details of their pre-clearance with them, and it is helpful if you are in the same queue in case the border official needs to speak to you. The border official will normally then issue them with permission for up to 90 days.
Once in Ireland they will need to register with a local Immigration Officer for permission to live and work here based on your relationship. They cannot work until this is granted.
Official information and application forms are available from www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-join-family-in-ireland/joining-an-irish-national/de-facto-partner-of-an-irish-national/.
Immigration registration process once in Ireland
If you are living in Dublin, your Australian spouse or de facto partner will need to make an appointment to register for immigration permission at the registration office is at 13-14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2.
You can make this appointment for first time registration by calling Freephone 1800 741741 (9-5, Mon-Fri). For more information, visit www.irishimmigration.ie/registering-your-immigration-permission/how-to-register-your-immigration-permission-for-the-first-time/information-on-registering-if-living-in-dublin/.
If you are living outside of Dublin, your Australian spouse or de facto partner must register at the local registration office in the Garda station nearest to where you live. You can find your nearest Garda station here. For more information, visit www.irishimmigration.ie/registering-your-immigration-permission/how-to-register-your-immigration-permission-for-the-first-time/information-on-registering-if-living-outside-of-dublin/#how.
Contact us if you need more information
You can email us on migrantproject@crosscare.ie or call us on 01 873 2844 if you have questions or need more information.
