A visa is a State authorized permission to present at the border to seek entry to Ireland. It is not in itself permission to enter the State, and entry remains within the discretion of the immigration officers at the border. Certain non-EEA nationals require a visa prior to travelling to the State. Other ‘non visa nationals’ do not require a visa and the specific nationalities can be found in Schedule 1 of the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

There are two types of visa applications:

1. Short Stay visas, also known as Class “C” visas. This visa permits the holder to enter the State only for a limited period only. On entry to the State, the visa holder will be given a stamp in their passport to allow them to remain in the State for a specific period of time, up to maximum of 90 days. Here, the visitor has no entitlement to remain in the State after the specific period.
2. Long Stay visas, also known a Class “D” visas. This visa is issued to applicants who have some connection to the State entitling them to remain on a long term basis.

We have experience assisting clients with a wide range of visa applications and appeals.  We assist clients by meeting them for an initial consultation to advise on the visa application process, the various policies and laws relating to their specific type of visa application, the documents required for the application, and so. We prepare detailed submissions to support the visa application, and liaise between our client and the Visa Office/ Embassy during the processing of the application.

Examples of the types of visa applications we assist on are all types of family reunification cases including both Irish and EEA national sponsors, Visas pursuant to Directive 2004/38/EC and the European Communities (Free Movement of Persons) Regulations 2015, visit visa applications, student visa applications, employment permit visas, and many more.