Citizenship application from Northern Ireland

[jjpmcat]

Hi Everyone,

I know I'm replying to this thread a little late but I have a question I would like to ask.

I'm an Irish Citizen born in Northern Ireland. My husband and I currently live in the South and he has his stamp 4 visa. He has one more year left before renewing. What I wanted to ask is can we live in Northern Ireland and still apply for his Irish passport when he accumulates the 3 full years of living on the island? Or would we have to apply for his UK residency? Does INIS recognise living in the North? Or is that out of the question? Thanks in advance for any help or assistance offered

[littlerr]

Yes he can apply for naturalisation at the end of the 3 years.

However, he needs to apply to the UK authority for permission to live in the north before his naturalisation application is approved.

[jjpmcat]

Hello littlerr,

Thank you for your reply. So. once he applies to live in the north does he then give up his stamp 4 visa or can he continue to hold on to it? Sorry if this question has been asked before.

[littlerr]

Ideally yes. Once he settles in NI and gets his residence permit from the UK authority, he should send an email to INIS to explain that both of you have now relocated to NI. I know most people probably won't bother, but it gives him some more credibility and it helps save INIS's time (if he does not inform INIS, when his Stamp 4 expires, INIS will eventually have to check why this person has not renewed his status and whether he is still in the state).

The only downside is that if he requires a visa to enter ROI, he would legally no longer be able to come without a visa. If he is a from a visa-free country, that Stamp 4 wouldn't give him any extra benefit anyway (unless he still wants to occasionally work in ROI).

[jjpmcat]

Understood. So what we'll do is apply for his visa for Northern Ireland and then once it has been granted he can cancel his stamp four visa in the South. He comes from a country that has a 90 day visa free entry, however he would obviously have to fly into the south in order to activate this. We'll start the visa application process soon for Northern Ireland.

Thanks for all your help with my questions. Have a great day and stay safe