A Dublin-based man said he's "frustrated" that visa delays could lead to him losing a dream job offer.
Elton da Silva moved to Ireland from Bazil back in 2016 to study. The young man was offered the job of his dreams after graduating from the CCT College in Dublin city centre in July.
Elton told Dublin Live: "My current Stamp 2 student visa runs out at the end of September and that's when I'm due to start my new job. I've sent in an application to convert the visa to Stamp 1G but the online renewal system takes three to four months."
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The rules for the online applications state you can apply for renewal three months before expiry - a rule that was brought in in June 2022. Applicants previously could only apply for renewals a month before expiry.
The normal processing time used to be five to six working weeks but a notice on the INIS website states the current time is 9 to 10 working weeks due to a "high demand for online registration renewals".
Elton said: "I feel powerless. I have this job and I could actually start working next week but because I don’t have a visa I can’t. I’m afraid I’m going to lose the job because I won’t get my visa in time."
One of the requirements of the Stamp 1G permission is providing proof of private health insurance. Elton said he applied for insurance as soon as he got the job offer. "It took me two weeks to get the policy," he said.
Elton, who was a frontline worker during the Covid-19 lockdown, added: "I feel disappointed because of all the effort I put in all these years. I risked myself during the pandemic for my job.
"I’m frustrated that even though I’ve lived here for five years and put in so much work, I’m not getting anything in return."
Dublin Live has contacted the Department of Justice for a comment on the matter.
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