No, the scheme for undocumented people to apply for a legal status closed on 31st July 2022.

The International Protection (Asylum Seekers) strand closed on 7th August 2022.

eVetting is a process to check whether you have a criminal record. The process is carried out via an online form, details of which will be sent to you by email.

One of the qualifying criteria for the regularisation scheme is that you are of good character and conduct.

As part of the application process, all applicants over the age of 16 will be required to undergo eVetting.

Step 1: After you submit your application you will receive an invitation from the Undocumented Scheme Unit to complete an e-vetting application.
Step 2: After you send back the signed form, you will then receive an email from the National Vetting Bureau with a direct link to the online vetting application form. You have 30 days to complete and submit the online vetting application from the day you receive the link.
Step 3: Your vetting application will be assessed by the Undocumented Scheme Unit. If there are any issues with the application it will be returned to you. Otherwise the application will be forwarded to the National Vetting Bureau. A vetting disclosure will be provided by the National Vetting Bureau to the Undocumented Scheme unit and this will be reviewed as part of the decision making process on your application. E-vetting is conducted by the Garda Siochána National Vetting Bureau.

We are aware of delays with the evetting process – you don’t need to worry. Please be patient and remain calm as they are handling thousands of applications.

Vetting invitation form:

Please follow these instructions on how to fill in your e-Vetting invitation form.

You should complete ‘Role being vetted for’ and ‘Name of Organisation’ as per our image here.

Online Vetting:

Please refer to An Garda Síochána’s Guide on how to complete the online vetting.

If you still haven’t received your e-Vetting invitation, please email undocumentedhelp@justice.ie to check what might have happened.

For other issues with your garda vetting you can email undocevetting@justice.ie quoting your acknowledgement number.

30 days after a Garda vetting disclosure is downloaded by the requesting organisation,  the disclosure can no longer be downloaded.

This is a part of the standard procedure for all vetting requests to the National vetting Bureau.

There is no need to worry and nothing more you can do at this stage.

The Department of Justice has informed us that they are working through applications as quickly and efficiently as possible but that they cannot give a timeline of when results will be issued. 

They informed us of factors that might cause a delay on a result: 

• Processing times vary quite considerably depending on the complexity of the application; 
• Factors such as the number of applicants on the application;; 
• The possible need to seek further information; 
• Staff and resources available at the moment; 
• Exceptionally high demand nationwide on evetting services. 

If an applicant has a specific concern, they can contact the helpdesk at undocumentedhelp@justice.ie  and the Department will work to identify a solution or give them an update on the status of their case.  

If a scheme applicant is moving home address, they should email undocumentedhelp@justice.ie with a subject line ” Change of Address” to inform them right away of their new address.

You will have the option to appeal this decision. Appeals must be received by the Immigration service within 30 days of a negative result. 

The officer may either confirm the original decision or grant approval of the application. 

If you need advice on submitting your appeal, please email info@mrci.ie  

• Applications will be refused where they do not meet all of the criteria for the Scheme including residency, character/conduct, threat to State etc.
• Having convictions for minor offences will not, of itself, result in disqualification.
• Provision of inadequate or inconsistent information.
• Applications will not be accepted where any false or misleading information is provided.

All successful recipients of the scheme that are over the age of 16 will be required to attend in person to register their permission.

If you live in Dublin you need to call Freephone 1800 800 630.

If you live outside Dublin you need to contact your local immigration office.

Successful scheme applicants cannot use the online booking system for renewals.

For queries relating to appointments people can email immigrationsupport@justice.ie

The letter you got from the Department of Justice confirming you were successful in the Regularisation Scheme, your passport and a Visa or Debit card for payment (cash payments are not accepted).

You can do this online at mywelfare.ie (you may need to first create a mygov ID) or in your local Intreo office.  

To apply for a PPS you will need your proof of identity, proof of address and evidence of the reason you need the PPS. The most common reasons would be employment or medical grounds.  

Acceptable evidence for employment would be a letter from your employer or prospective employer.  

We would encourage everyone where possible to begin paying tax if you have not been doing this up until now. 

This will make things much smoother and easier for you if you want to apply for family reunion or for citizenship in the future. 

Once you have your PPS you will need to register as an employee with your employer to start paying tax. If your employer is registered as an employer already then this process will be straightforward. 

If your employer is not registered (for example many individual employers in the private home may not be registered) then you need to ask them to register as an employer so that you can start paying tax on your income. 

If your employer refuses to register then you have two options. You can either try to find a new employer who will do this. Or, you can register as self employed for tax purposes. Registering as self employed may weaken your protections as an employee and may mean a lot more administration for you on a yearly basis to sort out your tax. It also means after year one you may need to pay your tax for each year up front. Please talk to MRCI before you do this. 

Yes, once you receive your IRP card (Irish Residence Permit) and have your Stamp 4 in your passport you can travel abroad.  

Also make sure you are not out of the country for too long.  The total length of time you are allowed to be absent absence from the State must not exceed 3 months in a calendar year.  

The letter you receive when you get your status from the scheme also indicates the amount of time you can be out of the country in a calendar year. 

Stamp 4 enables you to apply for family reunion, that means bringing one or more of your immediate family members to Ireland once you have been legally working in Ireland for a year or more. 

• In order to bring a spouse you will need to be earning a gross salary of €30,000 or more. 
• In order to bring a child your salary needs to cover the net incomes per week for each dependent child (based on Working Family Payment)  
• In order to bring a child between 18-23 they must be in full time education and be financially dependent on you. 

Please watch our recorded session on family reunion for more details.

See more information on the Department of Justice website 

If you’re not sure if you meet the criteria contact us to make an appointment and discuss your case in detail: info@mrci.ie 

A month before the expiry of this two year permission, you must contact your local immigration office in order to renew this permission. Information on renewing your permission is available here.

All successful applicants under this scheme will be granted permission on Stamp 4 conditions to remain in the State:  

• You must not come to the adverse attention of the Gardaí (Irish police) or immigration authorities. 
• You must reside continuously in the State.*
• You accept that your permission does not give any other person, related to you or not, any right or legitimate expectation to enter or remain in the State. 

* Continuous residence means you must live in the State for the period covered by this temporary permission to remain. Continuous residence allows you to leave the State for reasonable periods of absence for:  

• holidays, 
• exceptional family circumstances, or 
• commitments you have outside the State arising from business or employment carried out within the State.

Your stamp 4 permission allows you to:  

• work without an Employment Permit, and in a profession, subject to conditions of the relevant professional or other bodies; 
• set-up and operate a business; and 
• access state funds and services as decided by Government departments or agencies. 

Get more information on the general conditions for Stamp 4 permissions here.    

Please visit the Government’s official website.

If you have read all our information and still need more support you can email us at jfu@mrci.ie