Post
by Brigid from Ireland » Tue Nov 12, 2013 10:04 pm
It depends on your current position.
If you are currently an illegal immigrant (visa expired or never had a visa) you may find it difficult to get married.
If you are currently a legal immigrant (work visa or student visa, for example) then you can apply to change to a visa for the spouse of an Irish citizen, after you are married. There should not be a problem with this. Then after three years you can get Irish citizenship.
If your girlfriend is not working and is getting social welfare, she can add you to her claim as soon as possible after you are married. If you have an income (from a job, for example) then that is counted as income for both of you after the marriage, but if your job pays a low wage she may still be able to claim social welfare.
Do you have any children? If yes, it is much easier to get permanent residence as the parent of an Irish child.
BL