Non EU Girlfriend going to Ireland

[nina2008]

Hello,

Congratulations for this site.

I´m from Venezuela and my boyfriend is Irish. We met each other in Spain and we had a looooong distance relationship for 16 months. I have been in Irelans 3 times in the last year.

My boyfriend and I have decided to live together and I think I will go to Ireland for the first 90 days of my tourist visa.

To do that, I need to leave my job like a Human Resourse Manager here in Venezuela so I have been researching and I found (whit your help) we can apply to a "De Facto Relationship" permission to remain.

To do this we need to provide evidence and we have no problem with that. But I need to be really sure of all the legal things before do all this, because I won´t leave my country in an illegal way, so I would like to know if you could help me again.

The questions are:

When can I apply to that permission: before my travel to Ireland or before the 90 days ends?
What do I need to tell to the immigration officer at the airport: I´m going for 90 days and then I´ll apply to a permision to remain in Ireland or I just have to say that I´m going to visit my boyfriend for 90 days?
Do I need an invitation letter from my boyfriend to show at the airport?
Could I open a bank account when I were in Ireland to bring my money or with the evidence of my bank acount in Venezuela is enough?
What do my boyfriend needs to do to prove that he will be financially responsible for me?
Do I need to buy my medical insurance here or can I do that in Ireland?
If I´ll decide to study in Ireland can apply for a student visa after being there?

I have called to an immigration office in Ireland and the officer told me We just need to go to the garda before the 90 days and ask ther what do we have to do.

Our plan is I go to Ireland in July and then we come together to Venezuela in December and then we will back to Ireland again in January and if everything is fine we will marry.

I really appreciate your information. For me is a very important step and I need to be sure.

Thanks a lot

[scrudu]

I presume when you talk about a de-facto relationship you are referring to the new details listed hereon the DoJ site?

As this is a new visa type, we haven't heard of anyone who has been granted/refused a visa using this method. There is a very scant amount of information on that page, but I am not sure that you qualify though. The limited doc's say you need to show evidence of a 2yr relationship, but you say you are together only 16 months. Also, I don't know how strict that the DoJ will be, but other countries (e.g. Australia) would expect you to show evidence that you have been living together for the 2 years, and not just that you knew each other for 2 years. A de-facto relationship means that you are in a relationship similar to marriage, but not legally wed. As you've not been living together, I'm not sure if you can say you were in a de-facto relationship. Again, as no-one who has posted to this site has been granted one, we've yet to see how Ireland will implement this visa type.

[agniukas]

you would have to apply to general immigration for permission to remain under defacto relationship with Irish. You would need to prove that relationship and your Irish partner will have to show that he is able to support you. I believe 2-3 years of the relationship are required. If successful, you would be granted only stamp 3, so no work possibilities in Ireland, unless you apply for a work permit. I don't know how long does it take to process the applications. You or your Irish partner could give a ring to general immigration 01-6167700, option 3 and option 5 on tuesdays and thursdays 10am to 12.30 pm and ask them all the questions there.
you could as well try and renew your permission at your local immigration officer. But if at the airport you are gonna tell them, that you are coming for a visit / holidays, chances are they won't renew it. But as they say, it's at the discretion of the immigration officer

[nina2008]

Thanks a lot..... I will be looking for more information...