Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 January 2022
493. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Justice the way in which a Filipino person whose fiancé is an Irish citizen and living in Ireland can obtain a visa to come to Ireland to work given that one needs a work permit to get a visa to come to Ireland and one needs a job offer to get a work permit but it is extremely difficult to get a job offer without a work permit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3235/22]
View answerIn order to work in Ireland a non-EEA National, unless they are exempted, must hold a valid employment permit from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE). Full details of the various types of employment permits available can be found on that Department's website.
The applicant must have a job offer or employment contract to apply. Permission will only be granted for work that is highly skilled or where there is a skill shortage in Ireland.
After a visa-required applicant receives an employment permit from DETE they must then apply to my Department for a long stay employment visa also called 'D' visas.
The granting of a work permit by DETE has no bearing on whether a visa will subsequently be granted by my Department. These are two very distinct application processes with different checks and procedures in place in each respective Department.
I can also advise the Deputy that, in the circumstances outlined, if the person referred to is the de facto partner of an Irish citizen they may wish to consider applying for De Facto preclearance and a long stay ‘D’ Visa to travel to Ireland on that basis.
Further information is available on my Department's Irish Immigration website and may be of some assistance when creating a visa application:
(www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-join-family-in-ireland/joining-an-irish-national/de-facto-partner-of-an-irish-national/).
The onus, as in all cases, is on the applicant to satisfy the Visa Officer that a visa should be granted.
