Greetings everyone!
I posted about 4 queries scattered across the forum yesterday, and experienced team member Armand suggested it might be clearer if I consolidate by putting my queries in one new thread.
In essence, I'm looking for guidance to help me migrate to Ireland with my wife.
I'm not Irish; I'm a UK citizen, and am living in Cambodia with a Cambodian wife - we've been married for 4 years.
We desire to relocate to Ireland to settle permanently and find work.
The paperwork looks quite light and undemanding (certainly compared to the UK) but I'm still unclear about one or two points even after pouring over the appropriate official websites.
As I understand it, I just need to turn up at an airport with my UK passport. My wife, being the spouse of an EU national, does not need a visa but she does need a Residence Card. We apply on form EU1 and they put stamp #4 in her passport, right? The Residence Card permits her to stay and work at any job in Ireland, right?
The thing is, this process is supposed to take about 6 months. This makes it tricky for us to plan ahead, in particular to secure accommodation and jobs. One post I read said they will give her a temporary 6 month stamp which will get extended to 2 years when we settle in - is this right? They return the passport duly stamped after a month, but keep the birth and marriage certificates until we get there?
I'm hoping that despite the current state of the economy, we can find jobs reasonably quickly, but not before arrival. Now I can send documentation to show that I am working and earning in Cambodia, but if I don't have a rented flat and job lined up on arrival, will my wife be refused entry? I can show, if requested, that I have about 5000 Euros in my Cambodian bank account - is that enough to show I can support her until we get on our feet?
In Cambodia, Irish matters are dealt with by the Irish embassy in Hanoi, which has no email address on its website and doesn't answer the phone. I'm relieved we don't have to apply there for a visa.
In short, I'm worried that she might be barred from accompanying me to Ireland because we won't have accommodation and work guaranteed on arrival. Can anyone correct me, reassure me,
or help me to get the application right?
I should explain that in certain ways, we are not the typical expat couple. I'm not careerist, and we're not going to comparing life in Ireland with the US, UK or any developed nation. There is hardly another nation on Earth where the future for a decent person is so hopeless as Cambodia. We really do live a simple, unassuming life but the pervasive corruption in Cambodia has ground us down and we crave to live peacefully in a civilized society, hence Ireland. We'd rather settle on the west coast where life would be more tranquil and hopefully cheaper, but we need work. Despite my professional background, I want to avoid the rat-race and live a low key, stress free life; therefore, we'd be fine picking up little more than the minimum wage. My question is, if we lived in Galway or somewhere like that, and we both earned modest salaries, would we be able to afford to rent a one-bed flat in a quiet, safe area and sustain ourselves?
Briefly, I am a teacher (university professor here in Cambodia) with 25 years' experience behind me. My wife, aged 30, whose English is excellent, would be good in areas such as hotel receptionist, working in a restaurant or shop or any area like that. We have no children and don't intend to start a family.
If anyone can address just one of the many issues I raise, I would be terribly grateful.
Thanks in anticipation,
Andy
Professional visas in Ireland
Finding a job in Ireland from abroad
The work culture in Dublin
Travelling to Ireland
Cost of living in Ireland
Studying make-up in Ireland
The labour market in Ireland
Getting a driver's licence in Ireland
