iainke2 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 19, 2022 12:50 pm
Dear fellow applicants (crusaders),
I have a somewhat complicated and confusing situation. For clarity, my timelines at the moment are:
Application Based On: 5 year NON-EU Stamp 1 + 4
Applied On: 20 October 2021
Application received On: 21 October 2021
Acknowledgement : 07 June 2022
E-Vetting Invitation received: Pending
E-Vetting Link sent by email: Pending
E-Vetting Completed: Pending
E-Vetting Disclosure viewed: Pending
Approval letter received: Pending
Fee, photo, documents submitted: Pending
Invitation Letter Received: Pending
When I submitted my application, my stamps were in two different passports. Three of my stamps, both stamp 1s and one stamp 4 are in an expired passport. My most recent stamp 4 is in my current passport. Given my planned travel for Dec 2021, vague understanding that it was taking the Department months to return passports, with insights from these threads and from other fora, and the support of my solicitor, I submitted my application with the expired passport and only a certified copy of my current passport (not the current passport itself). As part of the evidence I submitted (~500 pages printed), I included standard copies of all passports in their entirety including the current one, and two expired passports, the one containing the stamps for reckonable residence, and an even older expired one that includes my student visa from when I was a visiting student at UCC. I'm glad I made a copy of the more recent expired passport. And here begins our tale.
I waited until January 2022 about 2.5 months after submitting my application before I first wrote an email to the Department asking about the whereabouts of my passport (and some official confirmation of receipt of my application). After another email from me, I was finally informed on 01 March that my application was received and that I would receive my passports in due corse. The cycle continues, for 7 more rounds of emails from me over the course of 5 months, with one sent on 07 Sept 2022 very clearly and directly asking: 1) if they have evidence the passport was received with the application; 2) if so, do they have evidence it was sent back to me; and, 3) if they sent it back a request to provide the docket/registered post number. On 07 September their response was, "Thank you for your email. Your file has been checked and the cover letter mentions your expired passport but there is no evidence of the passport being received with the application. A certified copy of your current passport and full copies of both previous passports were received."
Incensed is probably the best and most polite word to describe my state of mind at the time. 10.5 MONTHS to tell me, "we never had it," and after some vague references to them having received all they need in previous emails. Since then I have done all that I can to eliminate any doubt that the passport in question was submitted in the package. This includes contacting my embassy to confirm no one reported finding the passport, contacting An Post in three different ways, contacting my solicitor to just be sure I didn't leave the passport there, and turning over my house 4 times. Having prepared and shared evidence of the same with the Department, my most recent email to the Department was also rather direct: "is the passport required for processing of my application?" It's been over two weeks and no response.
I'm trying to be brief, but as many of you will no doubt appreciate, this quest is not easily paraphrased. And, I appreciate that many of you have had similar frustrations for different situations. It's clear the process is at best difficult to predict, and very lengthy for most. I may just be venting. Though, having read through this thread carefully along with others, I would ask the following questions:
1) Does anyone have a sense of the need for the passport, if they have a standard copy, and they can validate in their fancy computers the stamps, when they were issued, etc.?
2) I've seen reference to people submitting for FOI. I'm not sure I'm ready to go that route just yet, but am grateful to those that have for sharing their experiences. I'm beyond a year since my application submission date. Why was there advice to wait this long, or is it from the date of the official receipt letter, in my case in June 2022?
3) I've seen someone mentioning "JR" as a next step, and I can't imagine what that is. Could someone please give me the full words for that acronym?
4) I am open to any other feedback, suggestions, or commiserations.
Thanks for your time, and comeraderie.