Family Reunification under the International Protection Act 2015

This video (available in Arabic here) gives an overview of the family reunification process:

Can I apply for Family Reunification?

I am an adult:

If you are granted International Protection (either Refugee Status or Subsidiary Protection), you can apply to bring your husband, wife, or civil partner, and your minor children to Ireland. 

I am a minor: 

If you are a minor and you are granted Refugee Status or Subsidiary Protection, you can apply to bring your parents, and any of your minor siblings.

In both cases, any children you wish to apply for must be under the age of 18 at the time you apply for family reunification.

When should I apply?

You can apply as soon as you receive your Ministerial declaration confirming your International Protection Status. You do not need to wait until you receive your Irish Residence Permit in order to apply. 

You MUST complete the first step in the family reunification application process within 12 months of receiving your letter from the Minister.

How do I apply?

Starting the family reunification process is simple.You can copy the template email below, insert your details and send the email to fru_ipa@justice.ieTemplate email:Dear sir/madam,My name is [INSERT NAME], Person ID number: [INSERT NUMBER]. My address is [INSERT YOUR ADDRESS]As a beneficiary of refugee status/subsidiary protection in Ireland, I would like to apply for family Reunification for my son:Name: {INSERT SON'S FULL NAME ]Date of birth: [INSERT SON'S DATE OF BIRTH]Nationality: [INSERT SON'S NATIONALITY]Location: [INSERT ADDRESS IF POSSIBLE]If you require any further information at this point in time, please don't hesitate to contact me. I look forward to hearing from your office.Yours faithfully,[INSERT NAME]

What happens next?

The Family Reunification Unit will send you a Questionnaire to complete and return to them. They will send you one Questionnaire for your spouse and a separate Questionnaire for your child(ren).

There may be a delay of several weeks before you receive the Questionnaire(s).

The Questionnaire(s) could be sent to you by post or by email. It is very important that you inform the FRU if you change your address at any point during the family reunification process.

When completing the Questionnaire(s), you will respond to questions about your family members, your relationship to them and their circumstances.

What documents will I be expected to provide?

When you are returning your completed Questionnaire to the Family Reunification Unit, you will be expected to also send some original documents.

These original documents will be listed on the Questionnaire.

If you are not able to provide any of the required documents, you should explain why this is not possible in the Questionnaire (including a cover letter if needed).

If you are applying for a husband or wife, you will be asked to provide the following:

• Original passport
• Original marriage certificate
• Original birth certificate
• Original national Identity card (if applicable)
• Recent passport photos (obtain 6 photos)
• Divorce Certificate (if applicable)

If you are applying for a minor child, you will be expected to provide:

• Original Passport
• Original Birth Certificate
• Recent passport photos of child (try to obtain 6 photos)
• Recent passport photos of both parents with name, date of birth and date photo was taken on the back
• A letter or report from child's school (if attending one)
• Original Death certificate of other parent (where applicable)
• Evidence of any contact that the child has/have had with their other natural parent (e.g screenshot of WhatsApp messages, video calls, family photo)
• If your child is not in the care of a parent: a notarised Letter of authorisation (an Affidavit) from their current Guardian granting permission for the child to travel to Ireland and live with you. Also, a notarised photocopy of their identity document, for example: passport.
• Original authorisation letter from other parent consenting for the child to travel to Ireland to live with the you (where possible) -See template below.

Authorisation Letter from other Parent:

Family Reunification Section

13/14 Burgh Quay

Dublin 2

{INSERT DATE}

Applicant: {NAME OF PARENT IN IRELAND}

Personal Identity Number: {PERSON ID NUMBER OF PARENT IN IRELAND}

Re: Letter of Consent – Application for family reunification with wife and minor children:

Dear Sir or Madam,

My name is {INSERT NAME}. I confirm that I am the mother of the following minor child, who is the subject of this application for family reunification:

• {INSERT CHILD’S NAME} {INSERT DATE OF BIRTH}

I hereby grant my permission for {INSERT CHILD’S NAME} to travel to Ireland for the purposes of family reunification with his father, {INSERT FATHER’S NAME}.

Should you have any further questions or require any further clarification in relation to any of the

above, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Yours Faithfully,

________________________

{INSERT NAME AND SIGNATURE}

Do I need to translate the documents into English?

If the documents are not already in English, you will have to get them translated by an official translation company. You will need to submit the originals as well as the English translations to the FRU.

My family do not have national passports, what should we do?

Your family members should apply for passports as soon as possible. Without passports, the Family Reunification Unit may delay in making a decision on your application.If it is not possible for your family members to obtain national passports and you are able to demonstrate this, the FRU might agree to issue temporary travel documents to your family members. However there is no guarantee of this.As long as it is safe to do so, it is best that your family members make efforts to obtain national passports (even if the likelihood of obtaining them is low).

How long will the process take?

Currently it is taking between 12 and 18 months for family reunification applications to be decided. Some cases can be processed faster and others can be processed slower.

I have been granted Family Reunification but I cannot afford to bring my family (flights etc), can I get financial help?

If you are claiming a social welfare payment or are on a low income, you may be eligible to apply for the Irish Red Cross/IOM Travel Assistance Programme which pays the costs of your family members to come to Ireland and organises all the travel and transit arrangements. However, please be aware that the fund is limited.You can contact the Red Cross to find out more information; restoringfamilylinks@redcross.ie

Join Family Visas

If you are not eligible to apply for family reunification under the International Protection Act 2015, you may be able to consider an application for a Join Family Visa.These can be very difficult to obtain depending on your circumstances and which family member you wish to apply for.The video below (available in Arabic here) gives an overview of Join Family Visas:

If you have any questions or need some support with a family reunification application, please contact our Information and Advocacy Service.