Hey All,

i'm currently working in the middle east for the last while and have been seeing a wonderful Filipino girl. I'm due to move back to Ireland shortly and want to bring my girlfriend with me.

i know it's not as simple as that but as someone that doesn't have any knowledge of the whole visa process how do we go about getting this done. i read on line that the application has to be made from the applicants country of residence. How does this work if the person has resident status in another country??

you advice would be welcomed in order to kick the process off. Also can someone tell me approx how long these things take??

Thanks,

Red

Morning Redman,

A few tips.

Printed application form FULLY completed AND signed.

Provide a DETAILED relationship history between you and your g/f.
Provide proof you can support her on her trip here( 6 months bank statements)
Provide proof of where she will stay while here( utility bills with your name as proof of your residence).
Proof of face-to-face meetings( photos,trips together).
Proof of your citizenship(passport,birth cert).

Your g/f provides proof of her citizenship.
Reason for trip.
Reason to return to current country/Phils( job waiting for her when she returns.property,family).
Dates of intended travel.(You dont have to buy a ticket before the application visit,just a print out quote for flights).

Application to be made in country of residence if not Philippines.
Process says up to 8 wks,but for me,only took 6 wks or less.

More details on these sites:

http://www.inis.gov.ie
http://www.dfa.ie.

Good luck with it.

Dec

Thanks for that Dec.

one more thing, this maybe naive of me but here's the situation i'm considering.

i've been seeing this girl quite a while and we're considering marraige. i was thinking of my gf getting a work visa for ireland and once she has that sorted and comes over we can arrange to get married. i think i'd be able to get a suitable sponsor easily enough.

will this work or has it got the potential for a huge backfire? also if we get married in ireland does that mean she have automatic residency?

if i'm being stupid about the above i'm open to criticism, lol!

I know getting work permits is getting much harder because of something called a recession??!!LOL. To be honest,other people on the forum here would have better knowledge of residency/gettting married here/finding sponsorrs/etc(people who have actually gone through with that experience,I havent).Sorry I cant be more helpful than that.

Dec

You need to be very careful how and what visa you apply for. In the current recession the chance of her getting a work permit is practically nil. If you apply for a work permit which is refused and then apply for a visitor's visa it is likely that the authorities will view this with suspicion (due to the refusal of the work permit) and reject that application also.

I suggest that you consider carefully what your plans are and then make your decision. Will she continue to work in the Middle East after you return to Ireland? Have you seriously considered marriage? (have you set a date? and if so, where do you plan to marry?) Will she be coming to Ireland as your wife or your girlfriend?

sorry for not replying sooner,

when we get married it will be in the phillippines. we haven't set a date and that's due to work commitments at the moment. if we decided to move back (again pending a job starting back home) she'll be coming back as my wife.

when we get married we though it would be easier for her to stay in the phillippines and apply for a visa from there.