Medical Treatment, Religious or Lay Volunteer
Ministers of Religion and Religious Volunteers long stay
Medical Treatment long stay - visa application documents required
- Fully complete the online application form, and submit your signed summary application form, photographs and fee
- In addition to the signed summary application form, please also submit a signed letter of application
- outlining your reason for wishing to come to Ireland,
- giving details of any members of your family who are currently in Ireland, or any other EU State.
- stating how long you plan to stay,
- undertaking that you will observe the conditions of your visa, that you will not become a burden on the State, and that you will leave the State on the expiry of your permission to remain.
- Passport, valid for 12 months, and copy of previous passport if applicable.
- If visiting another State prior to travelling to Ireland, the relevant visa for that State must be obtained and in your passport before applying for an Irish visa.
- If you have been refused a visa for any other country, details of this must be given. Submit the original letter issued to you by the authorities of that country. Concealment of visa refusals will result in your Irish visa application being refused.
- If you are resident in a country other than your country of origin, evidence of your permission to reside in that country. This permission should be valid for at least 3 months after your intended departure from Ireland.
- A detailed letter from hospital in country of permanent residence outlining ALL of the following:
- Diagnosis and prognosis of medical condition
- Type of treatment required
- Why this treatment is not being carried out in that hospital, or any other hospital in that country
- Is this treatment available in another country which would be closer than Ireland, thus eliminating the need for the patient to undertake a long journey
- Confirmation that the doctor has been in contact with the Irish hospital to discuss the treatment
- Confirmation that the applicant is fit enough to undertake the journey to Ireland, and that the treatment required will not prevent or hinder his/her return journey Full contact details for the doctor and hospital should be included in letter, which should be completely clear, legible and in English
- A detailed letter from the PRIVATE hospital in Ireland outlining ALL of the following:
- Confirmation that there has been contact with the doctor/hospital in applicant’s country of permanent residence and that it is necessary for applicant to travel to Ireland for this treatment
- Date of appointment
- An indication of how long treatment & recovery will take
- Estimated cost of treatment
- That treatment of this patient will not result in a cost to public funds or resources
- Confirmation that the patient will be in a position to return to country of permanent residence following treatment – e.g. that treatment will not prevent air travel etc
- Full contact details for doctor and hospital should be included in letter
- Applicant will be required to show evidence of having sufficient funds to cover the full cost of medical treatment, travel costs, accommodation, and living expenses for duration of stay
- A detailed bank statement covering the 6 month period immediately prior to the visa application is required. This statement should clearly show the name, address and account number of the holder, along with full contact details for the bank
- If someone other than the applicant is funding the entire cost of trip, including treatment, their bank statement (as above) will be required
- It will also be necessary to provide evidence of the relationship of this sponsor to the applicant, and reasons why they are funding this trip
- Travel Insurance covering expected period of stay in Ireland
- Evidence of your obligations to return to your country of permanent residence following treatment – letter from your employer/college confirming you are absent due to illness and that your position remains open for your return
- Where you are not in employment or attending college, you must satisfy the visa officer that you have social ties in your home country, and that you will return there following treatment
Failure to lodge all of the documentation outlined will result in the refusal of the application.
NOTES
Please keep copies of all documents submitted with your application. Original documents such as marriage/birth certificates will be returned to you. However, bank statements, letters of invitation etc will not be returned.
If there are specific documents that you wish to have returned to you, please submit a list of these with your application.
All of these minimum requirements must be met in order for a visa application to be considered.
All letters and bank statements submitted should be on official company headed paper and give full contact details, for verification purposes. These must include a full postal address, name of contact, position in company, telephone number (landline) and email address where relevant. (Email addresses such as Yahoo or Hotmail are not accepted). Website address should also be included, if available.
The provision of all the documentation listed in no way guarantees that a visa will be granted.
All documentation must be in English or accompanied by a notarised translation.
Please do not purchase travel tickets prior to a decision being made on the visa application. Doing so may lead to unnecessary additional costs in circumstances where a visa is not granted.
July 2011
Ministers of Religion and Religious Volunteers
Who is a minister of religion?
For immigration purposes, and under these arrangements, a "minister of religion" means a person who is a qualified/ordained/professed member of an established religion, religious institution/order/church and where the work for which the person is seeking permission to enter the State includes some of the following:
- conducting spiritual worship/ceremonies to an established congregation in Ireland
- giving pastoral care to members of a congregation and society by preaching, conducting classes based on a religious ethos, supervising prayer meetings, etc.
- providing spiritual leadership
- ministering to the spiritual needs of a congregation
- pastoral visitation
- providing senior administrative support of a substantial or full-time nature to a religious institution/order/church where the work would not qualify for an employment permit.
This list is not exhaustive and is only meant as a guide in order to assess if the person has a legitimate basis for entering Ireland under these arrangements.
The person seeking to come to Ireland must be a member of an established religion, religious institution/order/church that has a significant presence in Ireland and the person must show a bona fide reason to be present in Ireland under these arrangements and, where applicable, be sponsored by the head of an established religion, religious institution/order/church as a minister of religion. It will be for the person concerned and/or the sponsor, where one exists, to establish these matters to the satisfaction of the immigration authorities.
The person concerned must not be engaged in activities which would be contrary to national security, public security or public order or be contrary to public policy ("ordre public").
These arrangements cannot be read as conferring on any person a right of entry to and residence in Ireland. Each case will be examined on its merits.
Religious volunteers
Where a person is not ordained or professed nor a religious leader but is a "religious volunteer" performing services on a voluntary basis for a religion, religious institution/order/church then he/she will be regarded as covered by the arrangements for ministers of religion below.
Ministers af Religion and Religious Volunteers long stay - visa application documents required
- Fully complete the online application form, and submit your signed summary application form, photographs and fee.
- In addition to the signed summary application form, please also submit a signed letter of application
- outlining your reason for wishing to come to Ireland,
- giving details of any members of your family who are currently in Ireland, or any other EU State.
- stating how long you plan to stay,
- undertaking that you will observe the conditions of your visa, that you will not become a burden on the State, and that you will leave the State on the expiry of your permission to remain.
- Passport, valid for 12 months, and copy of previous passport if applicable.
- If visiting another State prior to travelling to Ireland, the relevant visa for that State must be obtained and in your passport before applying for an Irish visa
- If you have been refused a visa for any other country, details of this must be given. Submit the original letter issued to you by the authorities of that country. Concealment of visa refusals will result in your Irish visa application being refused.
- If you are resident in a country other than your country of origin, evidence of your permission to reside in that country. This permission should be valid for at least 3 months after your intended departure from Ireland.
- An original letter of sponsorship, on headed paper, from the religious institution/order/church or a letter from the person concerned explaining precisely
- the basis on which they are seeking to come to the State
- confirming if there is a genuine position in Ireland available for the person concerned and the duration of the position,
- confirming that the sponsoring religious institution/order/church will be responsible for the financial upkeep and accommodation expenses of the person concerned, or in the absence of such confirmation a clear written explanation of how the person would support him/herself in the State,
- confirming that the position which the person will be filling is the sole purpose of their stay in Ireland,
- indicating the general size and location(s) of the congregation in Ireland.
- Evidence of full private medical insurance to cover him/herself in the State and any family members who have immigration permission. The medical insurance cover may be taken out personally by the person concerned or be part of a group scheme organised by the sponsoring religious institution/order/church. Ministers of religion and religious volunteers who are permitted to enter Ireland must have private medical insurance.
NOTES
Please keep copies of all documents submitted with your application. Original documents such as marriage/birth certificates will be returned to you. However, bank statements, letters of invitation etc will not be returned.
If there are specific documents that you wish to have returned to you, please submit a list of these with your application.
All of the above documents must be submitted with your application
All letters submitted should be on official company headed paper and give full contact details for verification purposes. These must include a full postal address, name of contact, position in company, telephone number (landline) and email address where relevant. (Email addresses such as Yahoo or Hotmail are not accepted). Website address should also be included, if available.
All documentation must be in English or accompanied by a notarised translation
The provision of all the documentation listed in no way guarantees that a visa will be granted.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to satisfy the visa officer as to why the visa should issue. Each visa application will be assessed on its merits. There can be no guarantee that these arrangements will result in the granting of a visa. Applications are dealt with on a case by case basis. All relevant information available to the visa officer will be taken into account when making a decision.
Failure to lodge all of the documentation outlined will result in the refusal of the application
July 2011
Further information for Ministers af Religion and Religious Volunteers
Lay Volunteers
Who is a Lay Volunteer?
For immigration purposes, and under these arrangements,a "lay volunteer" is a person who is undertaking voluntary work, which may or may not involve a payment, for an organisation such as a charity, religious institution/order/church or other voluntary organisation. The nature of the voluntary work and/or the employer/employee relationship must not be eligible for employment permits. The person may receive a stipend or other financial support from the employer organisation. The person must not be dependent on the State for support.
The person concerned must not be engaged in activities which would be contrary to national security, public security or public order or be contrary to public policy ("ordre public").
These arrangements do not confer on any person a right of entry to and residence in Ireland. Each case will be examined on its merits.
Lay Volunteers long stay - visa application documents required
- Fully complete the online application form, and submit your signed summary application form, photographs and fee.
- In addition to the signed summary application form, please also submit a signed letter of application
- outlining your reason for wishing to come to Ireland,
- giving details of any members of your family who are currently in Ireland, or any other EU State.
- stating how long you plan to stay,
- undertaking that you will observe the conditions of your visa, that you will not become a burden on the State, and that you will leave the State on the expiry of your permission to remain.
- Passport, valid for 12 months, and copy of previous passport if applicable.
- If visiting another State prior to travelling to Ireland, the relevant visa for that State must be obtained and in your passport before applying for an Irish visa
- If you have been refused a visa for any other country, details of this must be given. Submit the original letter issued to you by the authorities of that country. Concealment of visa refusals will result in your Irish visa application being refused.
- If you are resident in a country other than your country of origin, evidence of your permission to reside in that country. This permission should be valid for at least 3 months after your intended departure from Ireland.
- An original letter on headed paper of sponsorship from the sponsoring organisation confirming that:
- there is a genuine position available for the person concerned and the duration of that position,
- the person is fully supported by the sponsoring organisation from the point of view of their needs in the State e.g. for accommodation, finance and general upkeep,
- that the volunteer role or position the person is filling is the sole purpose of their stay in Ireland.
This original letter from the sponsoring organisation must state the nature and function of the organisation whether by reference to its Articles of Association or otherwise and, where it is a registered charity, detail of such registration.
- Evidence of full private medical insurance to cover him/herself in the State. The medical insurance cover may be taken out personally by the person concerned or be part of a private group scheme organised by the sponsoring organisation. Lay volunteers who are permitted to enter Ireland must have private medical insurance.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to satisfy the visa officer as to why the visa should issue. Each visa application will be assessed on its merits. There can be no guarantee that these arrangements will result in the granting of a visa. Applications are dealt with on a case by case basis. All relevant information available to the visa officer will be taken into account when making a decision.
NOTES
Please keep copies of all documents submitted with your application. Original documents such as marriage/birth certificates will be returned to you. However, bank statements, letters of invitation etc will not be returned.
If there are specific documents that you wish to have returned to you, please submit a list of these with your application.
All of the above documents must be submitted with your application.
All letters submitted should be on official company headed paper and give full contact details for verification purposes. These must include a full postal address, name of contact, position in company, telephone number (landline) and email address where relevant. (Email addresses such as Yahoo or Hotmail are not accepted). Website address should also be included, if available.
All documentation must be in English or accompanied by a notarised translation.
The provision of all the documentation listed in no way guarantees that a visa will be granted.
Failure to lodge all of the documentation outlined will result in the refusal of the application.
July 2011