UsesRealNameOnTheInternet
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My wife and I have been tossing around the idea of moving to Ireland, the place of my ancestors. Current Irish law allows me to apply for citizenship due to my naturally occurring Irish grandfather, but that process will start after our planned vacation to the Emerald Isle this summer.
I'd LOVE to make this happen, but I have no idea where I should even begin practical research. The furthest I've ever moved is an hour away from my home.
Just tossing this into the void. I love you all, and I wish you the peace and joy you deserve.
abbeyrosemama
My friend is moving her family to Spain. Tax law is making it tricky for her husband who earns the income for her family. Lots to consider. Good luck!
Arfulblastskat
Japan. They have an enormous retiring population, with thousands of homes built in the last 20-30 years.
lospaturno
oh gods, more immigrants from undeveloped countries... :rolleyes: jk, welcome.
Asatani
I wish you the best of luck. I've always wanted to expat, now more than ever, but never finished my degree.
ArchaeoEejit
The best advice I can give is 'don't call Ireland your homeland in front of Irish people.' Moving anywhere is gonna be scary. I've lived in a few different spots around Ireland and the north, I'll help out if I can.
MotoCanuck
Look at countries with quality of life, how they treat their children and elderly, and their education systems. Some like Germany if you speak the language the Education is free. Gives you a good chance to find and do something you love and make a good life for yourselves. In that regard, Scandinavian countries, Japan, Germany, Belgium, Poland, Ireland or Japan. I've also been researching this and saving up but my Canadian dollar isn't as strong in many of these countries.
Bunnies007
Ireland has changed significantly over the last few decades as the Catholic church loses its grip on the people. The Irish are friendly and welcoming. I would advise moving to a 'big' city for work opportunities. Dublin has a population of just over 1 million, but personally I have a soft spot for Cork (pop 190k). You can work in town but have a short commute to your home in lovely countryside.
Raeke
Check r/IrishCitizenship! The German one has been super helpful for me to figure out the steps and documents needed for me to apply for my German passport through Citizenship by Descent, so I would highly recommend checking the Irish one.
Sultana
I can help! I’ve gone through the process myself and on behalf of my kids - different processes.
KevinStrexcorp
Start with the passport, not after your trip, now. It takes ages and frankly, why wait? There no downside to having a second passport. Then it's just a matter of finding a job. If you arrive and find you hate the city/town you're in, move. You'll have just done it once, and you'll have hardly anything to move so it's easy.
-- Speaking from experience
CarlBassett
I agree. Sooner the better. Apart from the cost (a couple of hundred dollars) there is zero downside. And having it gives you options and a safety net. You never know if shits about to really go down in a week or a month, or if Ireland decides there are too many applying and decides to end grandfather rights. If you already have it you'd be safe. Do it now OP! Start here https://www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/citizenship/
AndScrewYouInParticularMyGoodSir
I moved from the US to Dublin! Granted I’m an EU citizen so it was a touch simpler, but happy to offer whatever help I can. Only caveat is I HAVE since moved back 😅
LaphroaigDrinker
Get your right to Irish citizenship sorted first.
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving-country/irish-citizenship/foreign-births-register/#a1a098
invaliduserformat
Immigrant living in UK here: very much start with your citizenship and a job search - make sure to let them know in any conversation about the job that you are getting citizenship - this always speeds up the process. You and your family will love it here - do not get discouraged by paperwork, it looks scarier than it is. And update us on this!
notakaren
If you can work with Irish naturalization web site now and get your Irish passport. You can live in any country in the EU. I think after you live there physically for a year, you get the full medical and education benefits. Plus you can work in any EU countries. It’s great!
CarlBassett
You can also live and work anywhere in the UK as well of course. The big advantage is of course the same language.
A1ekazam
Try finding a job first?
mondomar
Do you have pets? Because they will need to be a serious consideration. Moving to a new country with animals is a lengthy process.
labirmane
I have moved cats to 7 different countries. It isn't that bad...there are clear guidelines and it's actually not a nightmare.
mondomar
Every country is different and some have lengthy quarantine periods. I work in vet med and we see sad scenarios play out where people just can’t take them sometimes.
callmekwisatzhaderach
My wife and I moved our family to the Middle East 11 years ago and have never looked back. We are surrounded by a wonderful expat community and have incredible opportunities to travel. Finding a job can be challenging depending on what you do, but the rewards are enormous!
derpwagon
what part of the middle east?
callmekwisatzhaderach
Qatar
LoftheDesert
Moving countries is a lot about money.
I've moved two countries in my life, twice I didn't speak the language, but I had savings so that I could be sort of OK for a while.
You already speak the language which is a big bonus!
MultiFacets
Look up which places in Ireland will PAY you to move there. Then contact an Irish embassy to ask about the immigration process.
tymonaSmasher
Take a holiday there first?
Pulsifer
He literally wrote he was going to do that.
tymonaSmasher
Ooops - reading is not one of my strong points
Whiskeyjelly
Googles ‘how to immigrate to ireland from us’ whew I’m exhausted. See you tomorrow
CloseupCaptionReaction
You managed a thing and that's just fine.
BipedalHumanoidWithSlightlyDifferentNoseRidge
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving-country/mo/">https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving-country/moving-to-ireland/
https://us">v">/">https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving-country/moving-to-ireland/
https://us.iasservices.org.uk/emigrate-from-usa-to-ireland/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathleenpeddicord/2024/11/10/how-to-move-to-ireland-a-guide-for-americans/
Interesting stuff. Good luck!
shammael
This should be top comment.
My advice is to also talk with an immigration lawyer, my experience in Ireland is that paperwork is easier to navigate than in other countries but the process to get naturalized is long and you'll have to provide a lot of information. Having someone that can guide you and handle the process from there is well worth the money IMHO.
BipedalHumanoidWithSlightlyDifferentNoseRidge
Nothing that 2 minutes searching online won't yield. 🤷♂️
tirchulainn
Canadian here that lives in Ireland. Do it! I love it here. I live in Donegal and I can't recommend it enough. It's the "forgotten" county because its all the way up north, next to northern ireland and because of that the cost of living is much lower but its stunning and has everything wonderful about ireland. Feel free to message me:)
SaladinIskander
Yay Donegal!
BeerFueledAdventurer
"Pardon me, what's the quickest way to Donegal?" "Are ya walkin or drivin?" "Driving" "That'd be the quickest way, then"
Twinklepot
Feel free to DM me and I'll help anyway I can. I live in West Cork.
candar
commenting for perhaps not-so-future use...
moleclaw76
Scot here, desperate to visit West Cork x
Twinklepot
Well we aren't too far away from you! (Unless I've misinterpreted and your name is Scot, not your nationality! Lol! 🤣)
moleclaw76
No, you’re dead right ☺️ Thing is, I don’t drive, and I really want to get out into the wilds of the west. Need to find a travel companion 😂
shenanigasms
And I’m Cork city born and raised, though have lived in Limerick, Waterford, Kerry and Dublin (my job sends me around the country a lot). Also happy to get a DM - I’ll do what I can to help
neonbaconbits
Hiiiii just DMed you about leaving the US.
mrmartini
I have Irish ancestry but it goes back WAY further than my grandfather and the name is O'Sullivan so ... probably not going to have much luck.
[deleted]
[deleted]
mrmartini
Feel small? I'm not sure where you got that, but I didn't intend to. My point was, I would love to, but as far as taking the path you are, I don't think I would be as fortunate. My family has been in the states far too long and trying to trace a name that common would be virtually impossible.
Letstrythisonemotime
Just start drinking alcohol. That's worked for pretty much every Irish problem that ever existed. It'll work itself out. In all seriousness I hope everything works out. It sounds very exciting!
FishieStardust
Po-ta-toes
TomahawkJackson
Especially if Ireland is the target country. Gotta build up that tolerance!
diemajorthrilldie
If you have an Irish grandparent then the trickiest logistical bit is a lot easier but one does not simply move to Ireland - like most places our housing purchase/rental prices are *insane* and we're one of the worst countries in Europe for the percentage of your pay you that'll go to housing. Dublin is the worst but nowhere is good right now. You'll be able to drive for a year on your US license but after that you'll need to swap it out and possibly have to re-take the test.
diemajorthrilldie
Most of our social activities revolve around the pub (expensive) or the GAA sports hall (even if you're not involved in the sport, that's where social stuff often happens). Where I grew up, tourists were welcomed warmly so long as it was for a week and they had money but foreigners moving to the area had to do some work to become part of the community. Do your homework on our politics as well, that's often a big culture shock and potential pitfall for Americans here.
diemajorthrilldie
All our major cities struggle pretty badly with public transport and congestion. Rural areas don't have congestion obviously but public transport might as well not exist in certain parts. Everything is concentrated around our cities (we had a storm that knocked out power and water in a load of places and some towns were waiting weeks to get them back). Certain types of jobs are concentrated in certain parts of the cities too.
MrE158
The driver licence thing isn't correct. If you become resident rather than a visitor you need an Irish (or EU/EAA) licence.
MrE158
Assuming OP is from the USA, they won't have the option of exchanging to an Irish licence, and will have to go through the regular system.
MrE158
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel-and-recreation/motoring/driver-licensing/exchanging-foreign-driving-permit/
diemajorthrilldie
Oop yeah, you're 100% correct. USA isn't a recognised state so you're only allowed use your US license if you have an international driving permit and you're planning on visiting for less than a year?
SimplyWalkedIntoMordorAndBroughtPizza
if you are lucky, some folks here are from ireland and might be able to provide infos for your move. maybe even assist in whatever way possible. so fingers crossed and best of luck for the move
UsesRealNameOnTheInternet
This is my hope! I also have distant relatives and extended family who still live there, and I am hoping they can help advise me as well.
ramblemouse
I know it may sound cliche but I cannot stress how difficult the weather can be on mental health here. Winters are long, dark and very damp. Even if you think you're ready for it - your not. On a sunny day, this is the greatest place on earth. Fantastic place to raise kids. Very expensive. Dublin sucks. Lots of other great cities though
Seethreepeeoh
Now, be fair. Summer is also damp.
ahaahaahaaha
Once u get citizenship/passport rest is relatively easy. many people with both US and Irish citizenship can keep active passports for both countries.
Consider going first and your wife join once settled, then she can apply for citizenship after a 5 to 7 years.
If you want to look at housing/rental options check daft.ie - if you want to check job options - go to jobs.ie
Almost full employment here currently but many skills also in demand.
I would avoid Dublin initially due to high cost.
DSREX
Dublin high cost are basically US price outside major cities. But compared to the rest of the country they are outrageous
ahaahaahaaha
If you want to find out more about this site is great https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/
They have posted a recent article on this topic at
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/whats-new/apply-online-for-an-irish-residence-permit/
ahaahaahaaha
Someone on here suggested an “immigration lawyer” to help. I doubt u will need it, for your situation. Once you can prove your grandparent was born here, apply for your Irish passport. It’s best to get that out of the way asap. I say that because there has been almost 10k requests from US to do the same, since start of 2025 >> https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/trump-bump-brings-rise-in-irish-passport-applications-from-us-with-more-than-8500-in-past-two-months-alone/a1473081365.html
ahaahaahaaha
I’ve helped former colleagues, born outside EU, get their citizenship. The application requires character references, which I provided. You pay about €1000 for all the admin to become a citizen and there is a big ceremony, held twice a year, to inaugurate the new “Irish” :)
If you can use a computer, do basic research, you’re half way done. best of luck and hope you figure it out. I’ve yet to meet anyone who regretted the process - regardless of our crazy weather :)
TomahawkJackson
Trello. Start with Trello.
echonite
Magic Jack... I always thought that was a scammy as-seen-on-tv product. lol.
powwerbottom
SkittishLittleToaster
Hell yeah! My kind of brain!!
(I'm into Workflowy :3)
RhymingEverything
this is awesome to see, wtg
UsesRealNameOnTheInternet
👀
TomahawkJackson
I got the original from a co-worker who moved to Braga in Portugal. I can try to make a copy you can import if you PM me your Atlassian/Trello deets?
GTimgur
What exactly is Trello?
astralfields
An app to make kanban style lists. It's meant for stuff like project planning in scrum-based work environments but it's also a very easy to use tool for personal plans.
clumsygoat
Break a large task into a collection of small tasks that would each fit on a post-it note, then create columns on the wall like “Not started yet”, “In progress”, etc. Move the tasks among columns so you can see your progress.
Or use Trello, which is the same concept but as software.
echonite
Basically what the image shows. It has collums you can customize and you add cards to each one, and move them around as needed. The cards can be basic notes, checklists, etc. Its great for project organization, or in this case shown here, plan out everything you need to move countries.
ShiftingPattern
I miss Trello. Jira hurts my soul.
Foxsayy
Trello is too simple and Jira is too much. ClickUp is perfect in theory but works just well enough to really irritate you.
clumsygoat
“We’re migrating to Jira. Trello just hasn’t been useful, I spend too much time moving Trello cards around.” - my last team lead, failing to understand his job
thefnord
Jira feeds on souls. Jira is well fed in tech.
PimpoMatic
Amen!
Wraid
my last two jobs used Jira, and I couldn't stand it. This job uses Agileplace (Leankit), and I've been liking that waaaaaay more
habslove
I hate Jira so much it burns my soul
ShiftingPattern
Should double check your burn-down rate and see if we're still on track and on time to completely destroy your will to live before the end of the fiscal year.
habslove
jokes on you, my will to live has been gone
Frankasti
Looking at a JIRA dashboard right now... It destroys my soul so I'm chilling on Imgur on my phone instead. Send help please.
aFreeUsername
https://ifuckinghatejira.com/ feel free to share your anger in this understanding space 😄
ShiftingPattern
I would, but factoring in your soul's burn-down rate I think we may need to broadly realign on core value propositions.
ThomKlanc
I think we need to have a meeting to assess the synergy of our team and make sure that we can still meet the plans we defined in the matrix 3 months ago.
JDJersey
Step one: find out if you'll be able to get a job. Immigration is much much easier if you're landing in a career.
BerryButcher
Mmmm Americans on a work visas, what a dream.
Rogahar
Unless you have enough in savings (and have had for a while - 6 months for the UK, no idea if RoI is different to NI) to support yourself without an income source, then they're usually happy with that. Varies by country of course.
JBio
And as long as it's not in the greater Dublin area you can afford food after rent.
eiger3970
...or cut expenses to buy time and live in a comfortable EV #vanlife with amazing new tech and designs.
InkyBlinkyPinkyAndClyde
If they're a citizen, they'll have a right to move there. My husband and kids are Irish citizens because my MIL is an Irish immigrant. They're EU citizens, they can legally move anywhere in the EU, they don't have to go through the immigration process. Obviously they probably still want a job there, but it's not necessary in order to be allowed to move there.
veesee
Step one is getting citizenship. It's not actually so easy as filling out a form. This person will need frandparent marriage and birth cets as well as their parents. Once they have citizenship they'll need to get the wife a visa because she doesn't get automatic citizenship. No mention if kids so I assume they don't have any.
It'll take at least a year or more to get all the required docs. Source: helping my cousin do it a few years ago.
downrightmike
Or start an LLC here and create a foreign office
gypsyspot
Immigration wouldn't be required if they get citizenship. It would be for the spouse, but I assume there is a spousal visa, which would probably require said lawyer.
FastF0x
How?!
Hoogemast
This. Having a job makes it possible to apply for almost all European countries when you are American. You dont get a citizenship but a work permit most of the times tho.
JerBearington
This
Kagenical
Realistically, step 0 is retaining an immigration lawyer. I'm doing the same thing this very month to *fucking kill me* move to the USA D:
ThrowAwayAcct0000
Dude, move somewhere else.
secretdpp
Its not worth it. Turn around and run. Though if you're coming, can we swap citizenship? I want out of this shit hole
Kagenical
Sure. Earnestly, it's tough here as well, but someone I need to spend the rest of my life with is American so, like, fuck. Let's do it.
Sometimesithink
My condolences
Imissmylurk
Getting Irish Citizenship doesn't need a lawyer if you're eligible due to your father's father being a citizen (My dad applied for all of us the first time they did this, was just paperwork).
CarlBassett
Yep, if a parent was Irish you already have citizenship and just need to apply ofr a passport. If your grandparent was the most recent Irish citizen then you have to produce birth certificates, marriage certificates etc to prove the link. You can usually apply for these if you don't have copies already.
verukt89
What the hell is wrong with you?
Kagenical
I mean only the usual shit, sigh
verukt89
Lol sorry but I'm Canadian, my reaction is due to the current state of political affairs. But love makes us all do stupid things lol
Kagenical
Please don't apologize. The state of the world right now breaks my heart. I absolutely believe that love makes life worth living... But my friend, I understand how hard it is to believe that in a moment sometimes :)
1LostPuppy
You are willingly trying to move to US? Have you seen any of the new?
Kagenical
Yes sir, it breaks my heart. I'm actually truly worried. But I want to spend the rest of my life with an American woman, I don't know how to make this happen unless I immigrate. Sorry, wish me luck 😭
anonymous
American women are nothing special. Please don't come here. This country is so terrible that half of us want to leave.
If you absolutely INSIST on living in a Western country, at least give Canada a chance first.
WhyDontYouMakeMe
Good luck and godspeed internet person
eeps
Good luck! Hopefully you'll be ending up in a liberal state. State laws can provide some protection.
Kaleopolitus
You are going into a dangerous situation for love. That, if nothing else, is a good descriptor for humanity. I can't tell you it is a good idea but I can wish you good luck.
owlcatsanctuary101
Make her come to you. Going to the US now is literal "suïcide"
sadsquatch
You seem to know a lot about immigration. If my sister in law is a well respected college professor at a university in Switzerland, could I say, become a janitor there and have them sponsor my citizenship?
CoinedWatcher
Not sure about Switzerland in particular, but most European countries are incentived to hire from within their own country, then EU (Swiss aren't a part of so maybe not this step) then the rest of the world. Odds are they'll find a janitor much cheaper and easier elsewhere
dwolvin
Every country has a constantly changing set of rules. Google 'how to get citizenship in (country)' and start learning! BTW: Portugal is an easy one...
ThrowAwayAcct0000
I'm pretty sure Quebec changes it's rules every ten days, for fun.
dwolvin
Very French.
aShogunNamedMarcus
Yeah but the locals are pretty fed up with Brit remote workers driving their apartment rents through the roof
dwolvin
Fair enough- learn the language and don't be an obvious expat is always a good idea.
SergeyPrkl
Yeah, Expats generally are cancer.