Does letter from RTB and mobile phone bills count as Type B Residency Proof?

[Chee]

Hi all, I am in the early process of applying for Irish citizenship. Trying to gather documents that are required by the application.

I’ve read quite a few of posts here and I have to say I’ve gained a lot of great info from reading them. However there are still some questions I don’t have answer to yet. So I hope someones here could shed some light on them.

1. I have kept all my credit card statements but they shortened my name on the them. So for example Carly Rae Jepsen, they shortened it to CARLYR JEPSEN, will it be a problem if I use them? Also those are e-statements, are they ok to use?

2. Does letter from RTB count as Type B Residency Proof? I also have 2 rental agreements so would have to use both of them if both are acceptable. But the agreements are only 6 months contracts.

3. I’ve seen conflicting info about mobile phone bills. Is there any conclusion on wether or not they are accepted as a Type B Residency Proof?

4. The Residency Calculator, can I use it to count and see if I’m eligible but not go ahead to the next step? I still need to wait for some document from my home country so even if things go smoothly it’ll still be at least 1 or 2 months before I could start filling forms and start the application.

5. Is it better to get my birth certificate posted to me and have it certified copy here?

Thanks in advance.

Chee

[Vadrar91]

1) e statements are fine as long as bank is regulated by Ireland or EU and copies are submitted in colour. I don’t imagine the name they have on your statements should be a problem given you’ll be submitting ID that shows your middle name.

2) we’ve been advised that RTB is fine/good but some applicants may receive a request for proof of payment via bank statements/rent receipts (though this request may apply to any proof of tenancy, so this isn’t restricted to RTB letters.)

3) advice we’ve received is that mobile bills are unlikely to be accepted BUT this hasn’t been tested and SOME case workers MAY accept it depending on the rest of the application until/unless clarification is issued by the department. So, clear as mud I’d say and department appear to be covering themselves with ambiguity here. I’d tend to avoid unless you have no other choice.

[Chee]

1) e statements are fine as long as bank is regulated by Ireland or EU and copies are submitted in colour. I don’t imagine the name they have on your statements should be a problem given you’ll be submitting ID that shows your middle name.

2) we’ve been advised that RTB is fine/good but some applicants may receive a request for proof of payment via bank statements/rent receipts (though this request may apply to any proof of tenancy, so this isn’t restricted to RTB letters.)

3) advice we’ve received is that mobile bills are unlikely to be accepted BUT this hasn’t been tested and SOME case workers MAY accept it depending on the rest of the application until/unless clarification is issued by the department. So, clear as mud I’d say and department appear to be covering themselves with ambiguity here. I’d tend to avoid unless you have no other choice.

Thanks for your help, I think credit card statements will be my best option.

[meself2]

4. The Residency Calculator, can I use it to count and see if I’m eligible but not go ahead to the next step? I still need to wait for some document from my home country so even if things go smoothly it’ll still be at least 1 or 2 months before I could start filling forms and start the application.

It doesn't send data anywhere - play with it as you like. Just print it off and enclose with your application when you're ready.

5. Is it better to get my birth certificate posted to me and have it certified copy here?

What is the other option?
I'd say that's the best one as people that certify copies may take original and take a copy on the spot to certify it, so they know it's accurate.

[Chee]

4. The Residency Calculator, can I use it to count and see if I’m eligible but not go ahead to the next step? I still need to wait for some document from my home country so even if things go smoothly it’ll still be at least 1 or 2 months before I could start filling forms and start the application.

It doesn't send data anywhere - play with it as you like. Just print it off and enclose with your application when you're ready.

5. Is it better to get my birth certificate posted to me and have it certified copy here?

What is the other option?
I'd say that's the best one as people that certify copies may take original and take a copy on the spot to certify it, so they know it's accurate.

Thanks for your reply.
The other option is my family helps me get it certified in my home country. I think it's better to do it here.

[meself2]

4. The Residency Calculator, can I use it to count and see if I’m eligible but not go ahead to the next step? I still need to wait for some document from my home country so even if things go smoothly it’ll still be at least 1 or 2 months before I could start filling forms and start the application.

It doesn't send data anywhere - play with it as you like. Just print it off and enclose with your application when you're ready.

5. Is it better to get my birth certificate posted to me and have it certified copy here?

What is the other option?
I'd say that's the best one as people that certify copies may take original and take a copy on the spot to certify it, so they know it's accurate.

Thanks for your reply.
The other option is my family helps me get it certified in my home country. I think it's better to do it here.

Yea, do it here. Look at it from caseworker's perspective - would they trust the certification which was done here in Ireland (so there are ways to influence the person if it was done fraudulently and so on) or abroad?

[Chee]

4. The Residency Calculator, can I use it to count and see if I’m eligible but not go ahead to the next step? I still need to wait for some document from my home country so even if things go smoothly it’ll still be at least 1 or 2 months before I could start filling forms and start the application.

It doesn't send data anywhere - play with it as you like. Just print it off and enclose with your application when you're ready.

5. Is it better to get my birth certificate posted to me and have it certified copy here?

What is the other option?
I'd say that's the best one as people that certify copies may take original and take a copy on the spot to certify it, so they know it's accurate.

Thanks for your reply.
The other option is my family helps me get it certified in my home country. I think it's better to do it here.

Yea, do it here. Look at it from caseworker's perspective - would they trust the certification which was done here in Ireland (so there are ways to influence the person if it was done fraudulently and so on) or abroad?

That makes sense.

I've tried the Online Residency Calculator.

The result is quite confusing for me.
The message is:

"Year prior to application not continuous
Based on the information entered there has been a break in your permissions in the year prior to the date of application and you have 274 days continuous reckonable residence immediately prior to the date of application you entered.

Has 5 Years Residency
You should ensure that your registration with the Garda National Immigration Bureau is kept up to date during your residency in the State and that your permission stamp(s) cover the year prior to application without any break."

I put the Application date on 14/09/2023 (only rough estimate),

and my stamps look like these:

05/12/2016 - 31/12/2017, Stamp 1, 392days
30/11/2017 - 24/11/2018, Stamp 1, 328 days
28/01/2019 - 24/11/2019, Stamp 1, 301 days
22/11/2019 - 24/11/2020, Stamp 1, 366 days
30/11/2020 - 24/11/2021, Stamp 1, 360 days
26/11/2021 - 24/11/2022, Stamp 4, 364 days
15/12/2022 - 24/11/2023, Stamp 4, 274 days

If the problem is caused by the gap between 24/11/2018 to 28/01/2019, I have the online tracking emails from from DBEI from 30/11/2018 to 25/01/2019 to prove that they had my application for renewal (but the process was slow because they were extremely busy at that time.

What should I do in this case? Should I write a cover letter to explain the situation and attach all the emails from DBEI status update?

[meself2]

Based on the information entered there has been a break in your permissions in the year prior to the date of application and you have 274 days continuous reckonable residence immediately prior to the date of application you entered.

The issue is here:

26/11/2021 - 24/11/2022 Stamp 4
almost a month's gap?
15/12/2022 - 24/11/2023 Stamp 4

What's with the gap?

[Chee]

Based on the information entered there has been a break in your permissions in the year prior to the date of application and you have 274 days continuous reckonable residence immediately prior to the date of application you entered.

The issue is here:

26/11/2021 - 24/11/2022 Stamp 4
almost a month's gap?
15/12/2022 - 24/11/2023 Stamp 4

What's with the gap?

I'm located in Cork and in order to renew the permit we we need to email our local immigration office to book a slot with them. I emailed my local one on 16th September 2022 but no appointment until 15th December 2022. What should I do? I have the emails as proof.

[meself2]

Based on the information entered there has been a break in your permissions in the year prior to the date of application and you have 274 days continuous reckonable residence immediately prior to the date of application you entered.

The issue is here:

26/11/2021 - 24/11/2022 Stamp 4
almost a month's gap?
15/12/2022 - 24/11/2023 Stamp 4

What's with the gap?

I'm located in Cork and in order to renew the permit we we need to email our local immigration office to book a slot with them. I emailed my local one on 16th September 2022 but no appointment until 15th December 2022. What should I do? I have the emails as proof.

That seems to be a recurring issue with your permits - most of them are just after the expiration date of your previous one, which isn't good at all. If you did your best to get an appointment in advance n all those cases, attach emails and go head; it would depend on a decision making officer then to let it slide or not, but it'd be unfair punishing you for their backlog, so I'd expect it to go fine.
Alternatively, apply whenever you have a continuous 365 day residence backed up by IRPs, for which you would have to apply for another permit. Not sure why you didn't apply for LTR to get a 5 year permit, but your choice.

[Chee]

Based on the information entered there has been a break in your permissions in the year prior to the date of application and you have 274 days continuous reckonable residence immediately prior to the date of application you entered.

The issue is here:

26/11/2021 - 24/11/2022 Stamp 4
almost a month's gap?
15/12/2022 - 24/11/2023 Stamp 4

What's with the gap?

I'm located in Cork and in order to renew the permit we we need to email our local immigration office to book a slot with them. I emailed my local one on 16th September 2022 but no appointment until 15th December 2022. What should I do? I have the emails as proof.

That seems to be a recurring issue with your permits - most of them are just after the expiration date of your previous one, which isn't good at all. If you did your best to get an appointment in advance n all those cases, attach emails and go head; it would depend on a decision making officer then to let it slide or not, but it'd be unfair punishing you for their backlog, so I'd expect it to go fine.
Alternatively, apply whenever you have a continuous 365 day residence backed up by IRPs, for which you would have to apply for another permit. Not sure why you didn't apply for LTR to get a 5 year permit, but your choice.

Yes I think I have all the emails to prove I booked appointments in advance. So hopefully it won’t come back against me. My original plan is just skipping LTR and go straight for citizenship. Maybe I should do both.