Ireland
Update of eligibility requirements for stamp 4 upgrades
On 15 November 2023, Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) placed a web notice regarding the cessation of the provision of Stamp 4 support letters by the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment (DETE), effective 30 November 2023.
Eligibility for a Stamp 4 upgrade has been under review by ISD since the effective date of this change to the application process. This review has since concluded with the below-listed change to eligibilitynow effective:
Employees residing in Ireland on a Stamp 1 or 1H permission are eligible for a Stamp 4 upgrade upon completion of 21 months from commencement of employment in Ireland, on the basis of:
(i) a Critical Skills Employment Permit
(ii) a Hosting Agreement as a Researcher
(iii) a Multi-Site General Employment Permit as a Non-Consultant Hospital Doctor.
Alternatively, eligibility depends on completion of 57 months from commencement of employment in Ireland on the basis of:
(iv) General Employment Permits
(v) Intra-Company Transfer Permits
Please Note:
- In determining eligibility, categories (iv) and (v) are not interchangeable with (i), (ii), and/or (iii).
- The documents required at registration have not changed.
- Commencement of employment in Ireland will be determined via an ‘Employment Detail Summary’, available on revenue.ie/myaccount.
United Kingdom
New Super Priority Visa service in Indonesia
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) has launched a new Super Priority Visa (SPV) service in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Super Priority Visa (SPV) is an optional, paid service that customers in select locations around the world can purchase, in addition to the visa fee, to receive a faster decision on their visa application. This is the first time that customers in Jakarta will be able to take advantage of the optional service.
Customers who choose SPV will be able to receive a decision on their UK visa application by the end of the next working day, if the appointment is on a weekday. It could take two working days after the appointment, if the appointment is at the weekend or on a bank holiday.
Customers should be aware that it can take longer than two working days, for example if the Home Office requests more information.
The processing time for a Standard UK visa is 15 working days, although this excludes evenings, weekends or national, public holidays, and in some instances applications may take longer.
The very latest visa decision waiting times for each visa category are published on gov.uk. This also includes additional information about the priority services for those applying outside of the UK.
The fee for the Super Priority Visa Service is currently £1000, plus the standard fee for the type of visa being applied for.
