- Ireland's immigration authority has set out specific eligibility conditions that foreign spouses must meet to qualify for long-term residency
- The type of stamp a spouse receives depends on the employment permit the primary applicant originally held in Ireland
- Foreign spouses must have lived legally in Ireland for a required 60-month period to be considered for the permission
Ireland's immigration authority has outlined the requirements that spouses and dependants of long-term residents must satisfy before they can obtain their own long-term residency permission in the country.
According to the Irish Immigration Service, the spouse or dependant of a person who holds Long Term Residency on Stamp 4 conditions is eligible to apply, but the type of permission they receive is tied directly to the employment permit the primary applicant originally held.
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What type of stamp will spouse receive?
Where the primary applicant initially held a general work permit for five years, the spouse or dependant will be granted Stamp 3 for five years. If the primary applicant held a critical skills employment permit, the spouse or dependant will instead receive Stamp 1G for five years.
The distinction matters because each stamp carries different entitlements regarding access to work and other rights within the state.
Ireland long-term permit: Conditions spouses must meet
The Irish Immigration Service has listed several conditions that a spouse or dependant must fulfil before an application can proceed.
1. The applicant must be of good character, meaning they must not have come to the adverse attention of An Garda Síochána, the Irish Police, and must not have become an undue burden on the state.
2. They must have resided legally in Ireland as a spouse or dependant for the required 60-month period.
3. They must not have breached the conditions attached to any previous permissions to remain in the country.
4. At the time of making the application, the spouse or dependant must be currently and legally resident in Ireland, as evidenced by a valid immigration stamp in their passport or a valid Irish Residence Permit card.
5. Finally, the primary applicant must still hold their Long Term Residency permission on Stamp 4 conditions at the point when the spouse or dependant submits their application. If that permission has lapsed or been revoked, the dependent application cannot proceed.
The conditions reflect Ireland's broader approach to family-based immigration, where access to long-term status is granted incrementally and hinges on sustained legal residence and compliance with existing immigration rules.
Legit.ng has also published residency years for foreigners who want to become Qatari citizens.
Citizenship: Australia mentions residency years for foreigners
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Australia's Department of Home Affairs outlined the residence requirement foreigners must meet before applying for citizenship.
Applicants must have lived in Australia on a valid visa for a number of years before the date they apply for citizenship.
The rules also specify how much time applicants are allowed to have spent outside Australia during that period.
Source: Legit.ng