Long stay (join family) visa and permission under the Policy Document on Non-EEA Family Reunification

Route status

Active as of 2026-06-11^[1]^[4]

Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.

Status details
In force since	2025-11-26 as of 2025-11-26^[2]^[4] The revised Policy Document was published on 26 November 2025 and applies to applications submitted on or after that date; ISD directs applications submitted before it to para. 16.4 of the previous Policy Document. The route itself is older — this dates the current policy, not the instrument's creation.

Residency route facts

Identity

Identity
Official name (local)	Long stay (join family) visa and permission under the Policy Document on Non-EEA Family Reunification as of 2025-11-26^[2]^[4]
Official name (English)	Long stay (join family) visa and permission under the Policy Document on Non-EEA Family Reunification as of 2025-11-26^[2]^[4]
Legal basis	Policy Document on Non-EEA Family Reunification (revised policy published 26 November 2025); ministerial discretion as of 2025-11-26^[2]^[4]
Instrument type	national visa as of 2026-08-11^[4]

Who can apply

Who can apply
Nationals not served by this route	EU, EEA as of 2026-06-12^[1]^[3]

Permit terms

Permit terms
Initial duration	Not established from a qualifying source Not stated by the sources read.
Renewable	Not established from a qualifying source Not stated by the sources read.
Work rights	Not established from a qualifying source

Permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence and citizenship
Counts toward permanent residence	Not established from a qualifying source

Requirements

Requirements
Who can sponsor	citizen, permanent resident, temporary permit holder, specific permits as of 2026-06-12^[3]^[4]
Eligible relations	spouse, registered partner, unmarried partner, minor child, parent, adult dependent child as of 2026-06-12^[1]^[3]^[4] Nuclear family for the immediate or one-year routes is the spouse, civil partner, de facto partner, and the parent of an unmarried minor child under 18 who is the applicant. Unmarried minor children may join under the Table 1 net-income thresholds. Dependent adult relatives — dependent parents, and dependent adult children with serious medical or psychological conditions — may join under the Table 2 gross-income thresholds and a higher dependency test. Citizens Information adds that a de facto partner qualifies after two years in the relationship, and that parents of an Irish citizen child may apply for residence on that basis.
Sponsor income requirement	EUR 75,000 as of 2026-06-12^[1]^[3]
Sponsor accommodation requirement	Yes as of 2026-06-11^[1]
Sponsor waiting period	12 months as of 2026-06-11^[1]^[4]
Sponsor and relation matrix	Sponsor status: citizen Relation: spouse Resulting condition: Category A. No waiting period. Sponsor must have earned gross income over and above State benefits of at least EUR 75,000 cumulative over the three years before application, expected to be maintained. Same rule for a civil partner or de facto partner, and for an unmarried minor child under 18. Sponsor status: citizen Relation: minor child Resulting condition: Category A. No waiting period. Same EUR 75,000 cumulative three-year gross income test as for a spouse. Sponsor status: specific permits Relation: spouse Resulting condition: Category B (Critical Skills Employment Permit holder, intra-company transferee, non-locum doctor, researcher on a hosting agreement, IIP investor, STEP entrepreneur, ISD-approved scholarship student, PhD student, Minister of Religion). Immediate; no separate income figure is published because the immigration status granted assumes certain levels of income. Same for a civil partner, de facto partner or unmarried minor child. Sponsor status: specific permits Relation: other dependent Resulting condition: Category B, for family members outside the nuclear family: the sponsor may apply after two years in the State on an eligible permission immediately before the application. Sponsor status: temporary permit holder Relation: spouse Resulting condition: Category C (General Employment Permit or Reactivation Employment Permit holder). The sponsor must have been legally working in Ireland for one year and have gross income in excess of EUR 30,000 in the previous year, expected to be maintained. Same for a civil partner or de facto partner. Sponsor status: temporary permit holder Relation: minor child Resulting condition: Category C. Net-income table by number of children (2026): one child net EUR 39,780 / indicative gross EUR 50,200; two EUR 45,032 / EUR 60,200; three EUR 50,284 / EUR 70,100; four EUR 55,016 / EUR 80,000; five EUR 61,568 / EUR 93,700; six EUR 67,600 / EUR 106,300; seven EUR 74,672 / EUR 121,100; eight or more EUR 79,664 / EUR 131,600. Based on the Department of Social Protection's Working Family Payment income limits for 2026. Sponsor status: permanent resident Relation: spouse Resulting condition: Category C, for an independent Stamp 4 holder not falling into Category B. One year legally working in Ireland and gross income in excess of EUR 30,000 in the previous year. Relation: parent Resulting condition: Dependent adult relative, all sponsor categories: gross salary earned in Ireland in each of the three preceding years above EUR 96,929 for one adult, EUR 130,985 for two, EUR 165,042 for three (2026 figures, based on CSO unadjusted average earnings for Q2 2025). A higher level of dependency must be shown. Having the income does not guarantee that permission is granted. Relation: adult dependent child Resulting condition: Dependent adult relative, all sponsor categories: same gross-salary thresholds as for a dependent parent, and confined to adult children with serious medical or psychological conditions.

Process

Process
Where to apply from	from abroad only as of 2026-08-11^[4]
Statutory processing time	Not established from a qualifying source No statutory decision period is stated. ISD states expressly that its published expectation "in no way constitutes a legal obligation".
Observed processing time	12 to 12 months as of 2026-08-11^[4]
Fees	Kind: application Amount: Not established from a qualifying source Charged per: applicant Paid by: applicant

Physical presence

Physical presence
none stated	to keep the permit as of 2026-08-11^[4] No day count or absence rule for the joining family member is stated by the sources read. This records the absence of a stated rule, not a sourced statement that no rule exists.

Family inclusion

Family inclusion
Family members may be included	Not applicable as of 2026-08-11^[4] The route is itself the family-reunification instrument; a separate family-inclusion rule for the applicant does not arise. Each family member applies on the basis of their own relationship to the sponsor.

Your next step

Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.

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Verification

Verification
Sources cited	4
of which official (tier 1)	4
Oldest as-of date	2025-11-26
Newest as-of date	2026-08-11
Reviewed on	2026-08-17
Schema version	1.1

Sources

[1] Residence rights of family members
Citizens Information Board · official guidance · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-11 · Accessed 2026-08-11
[2] Revised Non-EEA Family Reunification Policy and Final Report on the Review of the Policy
Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (gov.ie) · official guidance · Tier 1 · Published 2025-11-26 · Accessed 2026-08-11
[3] Financial Thresholds for Non-EEA Family Reunification
Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-12 · Accessed 2026-08-11
[4] Join non-EEA family member — sponsor categories, application, processing time, supporting documents
Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-11