CONSULAR FOCUS: DUBLIN, IRELAND

Address: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, Ireland (mailing address). The consular section is located on the 3rd Floor of Hume House on Pembroke Road in Ballsbridge.

Telephone:	Consular Office telephone - 353-1-668-7122
		Consular Office fax - 353-1-668-8056
		INS office at Shannon Airport telephone - 353-1-61472297
		INS office at Shannon Airport fax - 353-1-61472084

Non-Immigrant Visa Processing:

Ireland is a visa waiver country and tourist visas are not needed in most cases for short business or pleasure visits to the US. Persons residing in Ireland may apply for non-immigrant visas by mail or using a drop box at the US embassy. Those using the drop box system who leave their passport and applications before noon on any weekday will normally receive their visa-stamped passport back the next weekday after 2:30 pm. If an interview is necessary, it will be done the day after drop off after 2:30 pm. Citizens and residents physically present in Ireland can submit a nonimmigrant visa by mail and ten business days should be allowed. Mail-in cases for those not present in Ireland will be accepted on a case-by-case basis. An original I-797 approval notice for an H,L,K,O and P visa is normally enough for the consulate to process a case.

The post will respond to inquiries between 8 am and 12 pm. The post does not have many fraud problems, but single, underemployed or out-of-work person as well as nationals of countries other than Ireland may face greater scrutiny. If an application is denied, the applicant may first have the case reviewed by the consulate's visa section chief. A second layer of review is available by submitting new material evidence and a request for reconsideration to the Dublin consul chief. Approximately 1/3 of cases are approved using this method. It should also be noted that there are no limits on reapplying for a nonimmigrant visa, though new evidence should be submitted, if possible.

Immigrant Visas:

Immigrant petition interviews are normally scheduled ten weeks of the post's receiving an applicant's packet 3, but visas are generally issued on the day of the interview. The post normally requires a cabled Notice of Approval from the INS. It is amenable to generating its own packet 3 upon receipt of an attorney-certified copy of the immigrant petition with supporting documentation and evidence of INS approval of the petition. The post will accept jurisdiction and adjudicate I-130 petitions for immediate relative petitions for spouses, parent and children of US citizens as long as both petitioner and beneficiary are physically present in Ireland (thought residence is not necessary). Applicants should remember to submit the long form of the Irish birth certificate.

The post is a participant in the Fingerprint Pilot Program with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and this causes considerable processing delays. Therefore, the consulate encourages applicants to get fingerprinted early. In this spirit, the consulate will also fingerprint prospective spouses of US citizens before the wedding in order to minimize delays after the marriage. Applicants can be fingerprinted at the consulate between 1:30 and 3:30 pm weekdays.

Medical Exams:

Applicants need to schedule appointments one to two weeks in advance of the immigration interview in order to have the results ready on a timely basis. Applicants should have their passports and the 60 Irish pound fee available at the time of the medical exam.

The doctors approved by the consulate to conduct immigrant petition medical exams are as follows:

Dr. David Donovan, Silverdale Surgery, Ballinlough, Cork, Tel: 353-21-364334.

Dr. Tim Gleeson, Blackrock Clinic, Rock Road, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Tel: 353-1-2880111.

Dr. Patrick Kelly, 40 Upper Drumcondra Road, Dublin 9, Tel: 353-1-8377315.

Dr. Damian Rutledge, 40 Guilford Road, Sandymount, Dublin 4, Tel: 353-1-2655169.

Dr. Seamus Cryan, 6 Snipe Lawn, Newcastle, Galway, Tel: 353-91-21595

Dr. Marina Bruton, Clane General Hospital, Clane, Co. Kildare, Tel: 353-45-61278.

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Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk.