Post
by Jimmy O » Wed Dec 01, 2021 11:25 am
Hi all,
Having just seen various postings related to multiple applications for siblings etc, and also having just had my application 'fast-tracked' to due my wife's pregnancy, I thought I'd jot down a few comments and thoughts which may address some general concerns:
1. Multiple Applications in One Application (siblings):
I applied for Irish Citizenship in 2019 (docs received on 8 October 2019) for myself and on behalf of my two siblings (a brother and sister); so three applications in one.
I did what another recent posting ('neemah' in response to 'UncleBud') indicated which was to put the three individual applications in three separate labelled plastic folders, with the shared documents pertinent to all three of us (ie. our mother's certificates and our grandfather's certificates) in a fourth folder. I also included a cover letter setting out the contents of each folder and asking for us all to be dealt with in one go using the shared documents.
Until our applications were processed, I had no idea whether this state of affairs (having three applications in one) would complicate things, but it would appear that FBR takes a very pragmatic approach. Once our application was administrated, the pertinent administrator dealt with all three applications at the same time. I and my brother had our applications approved immediately and we were e-mailed (separately) to request confirmation of address etc. My sister, however, had only provided a 'short form' birth certificate and not the requisite 'long form' (see Paragraph 2!), so her application has been held up until she can send on the relevant document.
The point in noting the above is that not only were all three of our applications processed at the same time and quite quickly when our turn came around, but with one application requiring further attention, it did NOT hold up the other two, which is great news. My sister has just been instructed to send on the relevant document and then she will also then have her application approved immediately and her documents sent back to her with the certificate as per the norm.
So, there it is. The sibling/multiple process seems to be fairly simple (assuming you send in the relevant documents, of course) and, more to the point, one erroneous application will not unnecessarily hold up the others.
2. Short Form/Long Form Birth Certificates (UK Only):
It would appear that at some stage between my and my brothers births, and my sister's birth, the system of issuance of birth certificates changed in the UK. To that extent, while my brother and I were automatically issued with the 'long form' of UK birth certificate, my sister wasn't. Apparently from a certain date, 'short form' certificates were issued automatically, but you had to apply for/pay for the longer version.
I note the above for people's awareness because we had no idea that there were two versions of a UK birth certificate and, although official, a short version will not be accepted. Apparently this is because the short form version does not demonstrate lineage etc which is what they want to see.
So.... just make sure, when applying, you include the long form birth certificate otherwise you'll be obliged to reshow and it'll hold up your applications further. My sister has had to track down the relevant authority to apply for a copy of her long form birth certificate which requires payment obviously, and will take at least 15 days to receive, before then having to send it on to Dublin etc etc.
3. Pregnancy Fast-Tracking:
Finally (and well done for making it this far!), my wife is entering her third trimester with our first child. I wanted to ensure that our son could also have the option to take on Irish citizenship and clearly, as you're all aware, the parent needs to have received their citizenship ahead of the birth of the child.
I contacted the Irish passport office (NOT FBR!) a couple of months ago to enquire about pregnancy fast-tracking as this is what we were instructed to do at the time by the FRB website as FBR was notionally closed.
The passport office didn't really know where things were at in terms of progress in FBR, and also stated that I shouldn't bother contacting them again until a couple of months prior to the birth of our child, at which point they might do something about it. To be honest, this was pretty unhelpful and didn't fill me with confidence that things would be sorted out in time (particularly if there was a complication with my application requiring further docs to be sent back-and-forth to Dublin etc and/or if our child were to be born early/premature).
As it is, when I saw someone post the emergency/urgent FBR e-mail address the other day, I decided to take a chance and e-mail them to let them know that I'd been waiting for well over 2 years for my application to be processed and that my wife was pregnant etc.
To my amazement, I was contacted that same day by someone at FBR who said that my e-mail/application had been forwarded to the 'Entitlement Team' and that I would hear back from them within a couple of days.
In fact, I was contacted the following day (as were my two siblings) approving two of our applications immediately and requesting further information from my sister as noted above. To that end, the whole process has been very slick and they were true to their word. Slight panic over - I have been informed that my application has been approved; I have confirmed my address; and I now await the return of my docs and the FBR certificate.
So... for any applicants who are pregnant or have a pregnant wife, while I can't guarantee that you'll receive the same speed at which I received a response, the system appears to work and they seem to take it seriously. Clearly, much may depend on how far along the pregnancy is, of course...
4. Updated Timelines (hastened by pregnancy enquiry):
Application online: 5 April 2019
Documents received: 8 October 2019
Communication with FBR Urgenct Enquiry E-mail Address: 29 November 2021
Address Confirmation Email: 30 November 2021
Congratulations Email: TBC
FBR Certificate Received: TBC
