Master prompt
De facto partnership — 2+ years cohabitation route
Non-married / non-civil partner route under Policy 2016 Chapter 17.5. Requires 2 continuous years cohabitation immediately preceding the application.
IrelandFamily SponsorshipDe factoCohabitationPolicy 17.5
The de facto partnership route is one of the few Irish family reunification pathways that does NOT require formal marriage or civil partnership. It is governed by Chapter 17.5 of the Policy Document on Non-EEA Family Reunification (Dec 2016), which mirrors comparable Australian + New Zealand frameworks. Statutory + policy anchors: • Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 (defines "cohabitant" for civil-law purposes — instructive, not determinative for immigration) • Policy Document on Non-EEA Family Reunification (Dec 2016) Chapter 17.5 • Article 8 ECHR — recognises de facto family life • Karner v Austria (ECtHR, 2003) — same-sex de facto partnerships protected • Schalk v Austria (ECtHR, 2010) — Article 8 applies to de facto cohabiting couples Draft a de facto partnership application for [APPLICANT_NAME] + [SPONSOR_NAME] (cohabiting since [COHAB_START_DATE]). §1 — ELIGIBILITY (160-200 words) The Policy 2016 Ch 17.5 test: (a) Sponsor in one of the qualifying categories: • Irish citizen • Stamp 4 holder • Stamp 1G dependant of Stamp 4 holder • CSEP holder on Stamp 1 (limited; sponsor must be on track for Stamp 4) • For [SPONSOR_STATUS]: confirm qualifying (b) The relationship is: • Genuine — not for immigration purposes • Exclusive — committed couple • In subsistence — currently together, not separated • Mutually committed for the long term (c) Duration test — TWO YEARS CONTINUOUS COHABITATION immediately preceding the application • Cohabitation may be in any country, not exclusively Ireland • Short separations (work travel, family emergencies) tolerated • For [COHAB_START_DATE]: confirm 2+ years elapsed • Multiple addresses across the period must be documented continuously (d) Both parties: • Are 18+ • Not married to a third party (any existing marriage must be dissolved BEFORE de facto application) • Not in a prohibited relationship (consanguinity) §2 — TWO-YEAR COHABITATION EVIDENCE — THE LOAD-BEARING ELEMENT (220-260 words) Officers require documentary evidence at the same address(es) for the full 2 years. Categorise: A. Joint tenancy / accommodation: • Joint lease / rental agreement (both names) • Mortgage statements (if applicable) • Letter from landlord confirming joint occupancy • Property tax / Local Property Tax records • Utility bills in joint names OR alternating names at same address B. Joint financial integration: • Joint bank account statements (at least 12 months ideally) • Joint investments / savings products • Insurance policies — listing partner as beneficiary • Pension nominations • Joint expenditure pattern visible in individual statements (rent transfers, shared bills) C. Documentary same-address evidence: • Government correspondence (Revenue, PRSI, welfare, electoral register) at the joint address • Driver's licence / national ID showing the address • Bank statements at joint address (for both partners individually) • Medical records at the joint address • Letters from employers acknowledging the joint address D. Communications + photographic record: • Photos across the 2 years (date metadata) — at home, on holidays, with family • Social media history showing relationship publicly • WhatsApp / message archive (selectively — privacy) • Travel records together (boarding passes, hotel bookings in joint names) E. Third-party recognition: • Affidavits from family + friends confirming the relationship is recognised • Wedding / engagement event evidence (if engaged but not married) • For none — birth certificate listing both parties • Religious / community recognition (if applicable) For [COHAB_LOCATION]: gather evidence from each country / address; do not leave gaps. §3 — RELATIONSHIP NARRATIVE (140-180 words) A first-person narrative (signed + dated by both): §A — How they met: [RELATIONSHIP_HISTORY] — chronologically: • First meeting context • Development of relationship • Decision to cohabit • Decision not (yet) to marry (cultural reasons, prior marriage being dissolved, philosophical, etc.) §B — Life together: • Daily routines • Joint household management • Significant shared experiences (births, deaths, illnesses, achievements) • Future plans §C — Why this application now: • Sponsor's settled life in Ireland • Applicant's intent to commit long-term to Ireland • Family-life impossibility elsewhere For none not "none": • Children's circumstances • Custody / care arrangements • Stability provided by reunification §4 — APPLICATION PATHWAY (140-180 words) If applicant outside Ireland: • Long-stay 'D' Join Family visa via AVATS • Fee: €60 • Supporting bundle paginated + indexed • Cover letter from sponsor + signed declaration of the relationship • Processing target: 6 months; often longer If applicant in Ireland (e.g. Stamp 3): • Direct application to DRPD • Stamp 3 → Stamp 1G change-of-status On approval: • IRP card issued — Stamp 1G (matches sponsor's category) • Same labour-market rights as spousal Stamp 1G §5 — COMMON REFUSAL GROUNDS (80-100 words) • Gaps in 2-year cohabitation evidence → reapply when 2 continuous years met • Insufficient joint financial integration → open joint account + share bills before reapplying • Lack of third-party recognition → obtain affidavits + photos with family • Suspicion of marriage-of-convenience pattern (rapid relationship + immigration timing) → mitigate via long-form narrative + photos / communication evidence pre-dating any visa interest • If one party still legally married elsewhere → resolve via divorce / annulment BEFORE filing §6 — STRATEGIC NOTES (60-80 words) If 2-year cohabitation threshold not yet met: • Document everything from Day 1 of cohabitation • Marriage / civil partnership is an alternative — gets to Stamp 1G faster (no 2-year wait) • For Indian couples — civil registration under Special Marriage Act 1954 (apostilled) is recognised in Ireland • Same-sex couples: civil partnership / marriage equally available — DRAFT only. Irish-qualified solicitor (Law Society of Ireland) review recommended before filing.
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