Stamp 4 Questions

[alihammad]

Hi folks,

I have some questions about Stamp 4 visa and would appreciate an answer based on your experience!

1. I got my critical skills work permit on October 2021, but my team wants me to move to Ireland on July 2022. My question is, can I still apply for Stamp 4 on October 2023? Or do I have to be inside the country during the 2 years of critical skills work permit (similar to reckonable residence for citizenship).

2. How long is the processing time for Stamp 4 from a critical skills work permit?

[littlerr]

1. No - you must accumulate 21 months on Stamp 1 with your current employer before you can apply to change your permission to Stamp 4. When you applied for your EP, it asks you to fill in a contract start date and end date. That start date should be close enough to your actual start date in Ireland. Any significant change is a breach to the EP condition. You may have problems entering Ireland; you & your employer will be questioned why there is a significant change of dates; and you will be required to apply for a new employment permit when the first permit is expired.

2. https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do ... rmits.html

[alihammad]

Thanks for your answer! My contract date is 1st of January 2022 officially, but my job is actually done remotely anyway + the offices are closed in Dublin so there is no reason for me to be physically in Ireland. Can I assume it will start from 1st of January 2022?

I guess my question is, do they check for reckonable residence when I apply for stamp 4 or do they only look at the start of my Irish contract?

[RCCar]

They will start to count your residence only when you move in and get your stamp in your passport

[littlerr]

Your reckonable residence is based on the date your biometrical information is entered to the immigration database. Usually between arriving in Ireland and getting biometrics done, it will take another month or two.