Working Holiday visa

[kabuki]

Are there any Americans on here who have come to Ireland on the new 1 year working holiday visa? If anyone has experience with this, could you tell me how long it takes to get a response?

Do you know if you can change your status in Ireland if you're here on this visa? I would be doing this so my partner and I will have a stronger EU1 application with 2 years on a lease together. Our application would be borderline which doesn't comfort me when dealing with Irish immigration. We'd like the extra insurance, so I'm exploring this option.

Also, does anyone know decent cheap insurance for this? I'm currently on VHI, but will be out of a job soon, so will be loosing that.

Thanks for all the help.

[UKStephen]

I have it on good authority (contacts high up in the US embassy) that there have been very very few applications (<100) for this visa this year, of course because of the economy.

So it's not exactly competitive.

But I also believe that it doesn't allow you to do any changes to your visa, and it is expected that you leave Ireland at the end of hte visa. Certainly not intended to be a foot in the door for immigration intent.

[esharknz]

Do you know if you can change your status in Ireland if you're here on this visa? I would be doing this so my partner and I will have a stronger EU1 application with 2 years on a lease together. Our application would be borderline which doesn't comfort me when dealing with Irish immigration. We'd like the extra insurance, so I'm exploring this option.

Also, does anyone know decent cheap insurance for this? I'm currently on VHI, but will be out of a job soon, so will be loosing that.

Thanks for all the help.

I know of one American who applied in January. It took a couple of months to get a working holiday visa. Mind you, this application was lodged within the first week of this scheme opening, and I heard the Irish embassies in the US didn't know anything much about the scheme at it's inception. So maybe it's quicker now.

You are expected to leave the country at the end of the visa as well. People have got back into Ireland after lodging successful work permit applications, but have had to exit the country while these were being processed.

[kabuki]

Thanks for the info. I was afraid it would take a month +. It may be shorter now, but not sure I want to risk it. Plus, I just realised I can continue accountancy on a full-time basis for a decent price if I switch to the ACCA, so I think I'm going to go that route and hope to find a part-time job. Then I can look for a full time job in accountancy again in about a years time.

This is good to know though as several friends of mine are thinking of exploring this option.

Cheers.

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

If you have a long term and well documented relationship with the Eu citizen (who is legitimately in Ireland), then you can do an EU1 application. Traditional Irish immigration law no longer applies at that point. Remember to keep EVERYTHING that shows you are living and travelling together.

You might find it hard to get a working holiday visa if you are already in Ireland. Questions might be raised!

How long have you been in Ireland? How long have you been together with your partner?

[D1mitry]

and I heard the Irish embassies in the US didn't know anything much about the scheme at it's inception

probe him to develop this point further in a few months after landing. He will soon realise that this is a life philosophy of internal ignorance and laziness. Good luck anyway, this island still holds some good sides to it

[kabuki]

If you have a long term and well documented relationship with the Eu citizen (who is legitimately in Ireland), then you can do an EU1 application. Traditional Irish immigration law no longer applies at that point. Remember to keep EVERYTHING that shows you are living and travelling together.

You might find it hard to get a working holiday visa if you are already in Ireland. Questions might be raised!

How long have you been in Ireland? How long have you been together with your partner?

I've been here on and off for about 2 years (1 year straight now), so half of the relationship has been long distance.

For an update: My place of work is allowing me to resit my exams, so my Stamp 1a will be renewed for a further 12 months. This is really good news. I want to keep this job and qualify as an account, but if something happens and I'm unable to continue, by the next time my stamp needs to be renewed, we will have been on the same lease for 1 year and 7 months, plus I have documentation of our travels for the time period before that.

For those interested in the working holiday visa, I'd say things should be in place now and that it would be worth doing it.
Cheers!

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

Two years is not a fixed period of time. And by the time DOJ adds at least 6 months to consider the appliction, you may have been together for a decade.

[Ben]

I've been here on and off for about 2 years (1 year straight now), so half of the relationship has been long distance.

For an update: My place of work is allowing me to resit my exams, so my Stamp 1a will be renewed for a further 12 months.

Give it another year then apply for Residence Card on form EU1. State that you are a person described in Article 3(2)(b) of Directive 2004/38/EC.

2. Without prejudice to any right to free movement and residence the persons concerned may have
in their own right, the host Member State shall, in accordance with its national legislation, facilitate
entry and residence for the following persons:
..
(b) the partner with whom the Union citizen has a durable relationship, duly attested.

Also quote Metock:

The right of a national of a non-member country who is a family member of a Union citizen to accompany or join that citizen cannot be made conditional on prior lawful residence in another Member State
..
Finally, the Court holds that a non-Community spouse of a Union citizen who accompanies or joins that citizen can benefit from the directive, irrespective of when and where their marriage took place and of how that spouse entered the host Member State.