defacto visa- continual?

[twista]

Hi

I'm wondering whether if after being granted a defacto visa with your partner, is it possible to apply for citizenship or permanant residency? if a couple are together for decades on the basis of a defacto visa, surely some rights are granted to the non-national partner?

[Wisco]

If you've been here on a defacto for years, you can apply for citizenship (5 years) or WCATT (8 years), as far as I know. But if you're asking if you have rights based on being an Irish person's partner for years (living abroad), you cannot apply for citizenship until you've fulfilled the 5 years here.