> JOIN SPOUSE / JOIN PARENT

A visa required family member (spouse or minor child) of a non-EEA national who is legally employed in the State may join that person once the worker has become established in the State, usually after twelve months, and is likely to be in Ireland for at least a similar period. The person must be in a position to support his or her family members without recourse to public funds.

The twelve month waiting period has been reduced to three months for the following categories:

*    persons participating in the Working Visa programme
*    doctors, including temporarily registered doctors
*    persons who are legally employed in other high skill areas on a case by case basis and with particular regard to any advice provided by relevant State or semi-State bodies

Please note : The Department of Social and Family Affairs in Ireland provides a Family Income Supplement (FIS) to families at work on low pay. The FIS is in the form of a weekly payment of 60% of the difference between your average net family income and the income limit for your family size.

This office is not in a position to approve any Join Spouse or Join Parent visa application where the spouse/parent in Ireland is earning less than the equivalent FIS income limit as detailed on the website http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Publications/SW22/Pages/2HowdoIqualify.aspx"

JOIN SPOUSE

If you are a visa-required national and travelling to Ireland to join your spouse, you should present the following with your visa application:

*    Passport
*    Please included a photocopy of the passport bio page, all visas and all stamps
*    Signed summary of your on-line application form. Please refer to our Application Forms Page for details. 
*    1 passport sized colour photo taken in the past six months that meets our specifications.
*    Details of the status of the spouse in Ireland , this should include:

    *    copy of all pages of his/her passport
    *    copy of his/her Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) registration card
    *    copy of his/her current work permit
    *    letter from spouse's employer in Ireland stating current salary, including all benefits in kind, duration of employment and whether employer intends to renew the work permit

*    Evidence that the spouse in Ireland has sufficient funds to cover the costs of the stay, this should include:

    *    bank statement from spouse in Ireland
    *    copy of most recent P60 (Certificate of Pay, Tax and Pay-Related Social Insurance)
    *    recent pay slips

*    Full details of the applicant's close family (parents, children and siblings). Please indicate whether any family members intend to join at a future point.
*    Details of the applicant's current status in China
*    Photocopy of marriage certificate
*    If the applicant and the reference in Ireland are recently married then evidence of a prior relationship should be submitted
*    Photocopy of applicant's hukou

Please note the above list is not exhaustive and applications should be supported by all information considered relevant.

It is not possible to change your status while in Ireland .

We aim to make a decision on your application as soon as possible however, please allow twenty working days for your application to be processed.   Also please note in our peak times, processing of all visas may be delayed due to higher levels than normal of applications for visas being received.

Processing times may vary for Visit, Study and Join Family visa applications lodged at the Consulate in Shanghai . Every effort will be made to expedite the process, but at peak times applications lodged at the Consulate in Shanghai may take 20-30 working days to process.

Before you complete your visa application please thoroughly read the information contained in General Information for all Visa types.

JOIN PARENT

In order to be eligible for a Join-Parent Visa an applicant must be under 18 years of age and not married. The parent(s) in Ireland must have sufficient income to support the child and must be able to provide adequate accommodation.

If you are visa-required national and travelling to Ireland to join your parent, you should present the following with your visa application:

*    Passport
*    Please included a photocopy of the passport bio page, all visas and all stamps
*   
    Signed summary of your on-line application form. Please refer to our Application Forms Page for details. 
*   
    1 passport sized colour photo taken in the past six months that meets our specifications.
*    Details of the status of the parent in Ireland , this should include:

    *    copy of all pages of his/her passport
    *    copy of his/her Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) registration card
    *    copy of his/her current work permit
    *    letter from parent's employer in Ireland stating current salary, including all benefits in kind, duration of employment and whether employer intends to renew the work permit

*    Evidence that the parent has sufficient funds to cover the costs of the stay, this should include:

    *    bank statement from parent in Ireland
    *    copy of most recent P60 (Certificate of Pay, Tax and Pay-Related Social Insurance)
    *    recent pay slips

*    Full details of the applicant's close family (parents and siblings)
*    Details of the applicant's current status in China
*    Photocopy of applicant's family hukou 
*    Where the minors other parent / guardian will remain in China , legal consent from the other parent/guardian must be provided

Please note the above list is not exhaustive and applications should be supported by all information considered relevant.

It is not possible to change your status while in Ireland .   

We aim to make a decision on your application as soon as possible however, please allow twenty working days for your application to be processed.   Also please note in our peak times, processing of all visas may be delayed due to higher levels than normal of applications for visas being received.

Processing times may vary for Visit, Study and Join Family visa applications lodged at the Consulate in Shanghai . Every effort will be made to expedite the process, but at peak times applications lodged at the Consulate in Shanghai may take 20-30 working days to process.

Before you complete your visa application please thoroughly read the information contained in General Information for all Visa types.