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Please be advised that the Consulate General of Ireland, Shanghai website has moved and this page is no longer being updated. The Consulate website is now available at Ireland.ie/shanghai.

To Join Spouse/Parent of Non-EEA Citizen Visa

* Please click here for our new Immigration Policy Guidelines on Family Reunification published on 31 December 2013.

A qualifying sponsor is a non-EEA national:

Who has a valid work permit and has been in employment for at least twelve months prior to the date of application. He/she must be in full time employment on the date of application and have an income above the threshold which would qualify the family for payment under the Family Income Supplement (FIS) Scheme administered by the Department of Social Protection  
OR
Is a Green Card Permit Holder.
OR
Is a Researcher (Scientific) who holds a Hosting Agreement with an accredited research organisation for the purpose of carrying out scientific research.

Please note: family members (i.e. spouse and dependents) may accompany a Green Card holder or a Scientific Researcher on admission into the State or join later subject to normal immigration rules. Family members and dependents who are granted permission to be in the State under these arrangements may only remain for a maximum period equal to the Registration of the Green Card holder/Scientific Researcher.

There now follows an explanation of what will be accepted as evidence for the above requirements.

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 2 photocopies of the passport bio page.
*If you have held a previous passport, you must submit your previous passport with your application.
* Signed summary of your on-line application form. Please refer to our How to Apply Page [link to 3.1] for details.
* 2 passport sized colour photo taken in the past six months that meets our specifications [link to 3.3 tab 2].
* A signed letter of application outlining the nature and duration of your visit to Ireland and including contact details.
* 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

Original marriage certificate

If the applicant and the reference in Ireland are recently married then evidence of a prior relationship should be submitted
Applicant's original family hukou

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

Please note that any document submitted in Chinese, must be accompanied by an English translation.
You are required to provide a copy of all original documents

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

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 2 photocopies of the passport bio page.
* If you have held a previous passport, you must submit your previous passport with your application.
*Signed summary of your on-line application form. Please refer to our How to Apply page for details.
*2 passport sized colour photo taken in the past six months that meets our specifications.
* A signed letter of application outlining of the nature and duration of your visit to Ireland and including contact details.
* 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). Please indicate whether any family members intend to join at a future point.
* Details of the applicant's current status in China
* Applicants original family hukou
* Original and photocopy of applicant's birth certificate
* Where the minors other parent / guardian will remain in China, legal consent from the other parent/guardian must be provided accompanied by copies of the consenting parent/guardian’s clearly shows their signature. If the parent/guardian does not currently hold a passport, the signed consent must be notarized.

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

Please note that any document submitted in Chinese, must be accompanied by an English translation.

You are required to provide a copy of all original documents

For processing times and further information, please see Policy Document on Non-EEA Family Reunification.
Before you complete your visa application please thoroughly read the information contained in General Information for all Visa types.