Impact – Medium
What is the change? Ireland has introduced new visa stamps in the country for children under the age of 18.
What does the change mean? Visa stickers indicate whether a foreign child is not accompanied or accompanied. If accompanied, the child must travel with the appointed adult.
Implementation time frame: The procedure became effective on October 13th. Affected Visas/Authorization: All Visas. Affected: Minor children (under 18 years old). Impact on Processing Time: Rules do not need to directly affect processing time. Business Impact: Travel Planning that affects requirements for foreign workers' families. Next Step: Parents planning trips to Ireland or work assignments should be aware of new visa rules for minor children as this will affect which parents must travel with their children.
Background: Under the new policy, all children under the age of 18 will apply for a visa and get a visa sticker indicating whether to “attend” or “accompanied” travel.
The “accompanied” designation states (a) the name and passport number of one adult, or (b) the passport number of two adults. Visas are valid only if the child is a visa sticker and an adult.
Children whose visa indicates they are traveling “no accompaniment” may travel alone or with adults. Once a child has obtained a designated visa sticker but reaches the age of 18, the visa will be treated as an unspecified adult visa.
This policy applies to all visas issued after October 12th.
BAL Analysis: Foreign workers who bring minor children to Ireland should work with the BAL Power of Attorney to plan how they apply for child visa approval, as it will affect child visa logistics. Irish ports of immigration screen travelers to ensure that their children are traveling with people designated on the Visa sticker.
This alert is provided by the BAL Global Practice Group in the UK. For more information, please contact uk@bal.com.
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