Citizenship & Schooling

[Jelbee]

Hi there! Hopefully someone will be able to answer this for me...

I'm Canadian, and my fiance is Irish. I'm planning on moving to Ireland later this year, for now, just on a Work VISA through the "Student Work Abroad Program" run by the Canadian government. It lasts a year.

However, we're planning on getting married, but not immediately... and I'm considering attending college in Dublin. Sadly, at 12,000 euro per year, I can't afford the international tuition fees.

Could anyone give me a basic run-through of what's required to establish Irish citizenship? How many years after marriage would I be "Irish," thus waiving the insane International fees?

I don't REALLY want to get married in the next couple of years, I'm only 21, and we wanted to have a looong engagement... but assuming it takes several years for me to ditch the international fees... I don't want it to be 5-6 years before I can afford to go to college!

Thanks to anyone who has any information!
Cheers!

-J

[agniukas]

Hi,

You can apply for Irish cirizenship through naturalisation as a spouse of Irish national after 3 years of marriage and living in Ireland. The current processing time is around 22 months or so.

[calai]

[quote="Jelbee"]Hi there! Hopefully someone will be able to answer this for me...

I'm Canadian, and my fiance is Irish. I'm planning on moving to Ireland later this year, for now, just on a Work VISA through the "Student Work Abroad Program" run by the Canadian government. It lasts a year.

However, we're planning on getting married, but not immediately... and I'm considering attending college in Dublin. Sadly, at 12,000 euro per year, I can't afford the international tuition fees.

Could anyone give me a basic run-through of what's required to establish Irish citizenship? How many years after marriage would I be "Irish," thus waiving the insane International fees?

I don't REALLY want to get married in the next couple of years, I'm only 21, and we wanted to have a looong engagement... but assuming it takes several years for me to ditch the international fees... I don't want it to be 5-6 years before I can afford to go to college!

Thanks to anyone who has any information!
Cheers!

-J[/quote]

You don't have to get married before being eligible for EU fee status if you have lived in any EU state for 3 years (and many college would probably ask for three P21 tax cert).

I was in college last year and my full time post gard fee could be over 13000 if im classified as international student. Im not EU citizen, have not stayed in any EU state for 3 full years and not married. Fortunately, i got EU fee status from my British nationality and part sponsorship of my employer - but the post gard fee for EU student was almost 8000 a year

[Lost Soul]

A word of caution:
Once you elect to register at an Irish College as an International student you are not allowed to change your status even if you later qualify for EU fees.
I had great difficulty changing my daughter's status from international to EU even after living in Ireland for seven years and completing her BSc degree.
I did eventually succeed in registering her for a MSc at EU rates.

I'm not sure that being married to an Irish citizen would make any difference. Even Irish citizens who have lived outside the EU for five years and return to Ireland to study are classed as International students.

[realgunner]

Hi Guys,

I am living in Ireland nearly 5 years.My dad has a stamp 4 beacuse he is here 10 years. I am 17 years old so they decieded to give me stamp 2A but i want to get that changed to stamp 4 and i know i can't.

But i knew few of my mates got theirs changed and few of them got rejected.

Is there anyway i can get my stamp changed and if i do apply for stamp 4 do i have to wait like 2 years?

[agniukas]

realgunner, on what basis does your father have stamp 4? if your father received irish citizenship, you could get stamp 4 as a dependant of an irish national. you do not qualify for long term residency, if that's what you meant about waiting for 2 years.

[realgunner]

agniukas, thanks for the reply. He got it on the work permits.
But incase if he doesn't get the Irish Citzenship this means when im finish studying i have to go back.

Another way i can get anything....stamp 4 or irish citzenship myself?

[Ben]

agniukas, thanks for the reply. He got it on the work permits.
But incase if he doesn't get the Irish Citzenship this means when im finish studying i have to go back.

Another way i can get anything....stamp 4 or irish citzenship myself?

When your dad was on a work permit, Stamp 1, weren't you, as his dependant, on Stamp 3?

[realgunner]

when he had his last work permit then the rest of the family came to Ireland and few months later he got stamp 4.

When i came to Ireland i was only 13 so i didnt need a Garda card.But when i turn 16 they gave me 2A stamp and later when i had to renewed my card.

The lady in DOJ took 40 mins and gave me card with stamp 2A but told me i could get stamp 4. I didnt understand that time why she said that to me because by law i can't.

[agniukas]

there is a chance that citizenship would count your time in the state since your arrivala s a minor. in that case you could probably apply after having 5 years in the country. But i am not 100% sure on that. maybe somebody else will be able to coment on that more.
you would definately not qualify for LTR, as you would need 5 years on stamp 3 since the time you turned 16. and even then LTR would give you only stamp 3 for 5 years.
unless you wait for the new bill coming in to effect (whenever that is) and maybe then you could get stamp 4 under a new LTR (if that part of the bill is approved)
at the moment, when you finish your school and want to work, you will have to get a work permit...

[realgunner]

Most of the things you're telling me are 100 percent right.

I might get away if i apply citzenship after 5 years because they just cant throw away my minor 3 years in this country.

The new bill is in August 09 i think.

Thanks for your help.