Under which circumstances can the person reside: worker, self-employed, student, jobseeker, self-funded person or another recognised basis?
Both the family member and the EU/EEA/Swiss citizen must live in Ireland, and the citizen must be exercising free movement rights: employed, self-employed, pursuing a course of study, living with sufficient resources, or involuntarily unemployed after more than one year of employment and registered as a jobseeker with the Department of Social Protection. Where the Union citizen resides on the study ground of paragraph (3)(a)(iii) (enrolled in an accredited or State-financed educational establishment to follow a course of study), a dependent direct ascendant of the citizen or of the citizen's spouse or civil partner may apply to the Minister for a permission to remain; the Minister decides after an extensive examination of the applicant's personal circumstances.
See recorded sources
Limits of the record- S.I. 548/2015 cited in its 'made' version from irishstatutebook.ie; later amendments were not checked.
- https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-join-family-in-ireland/joining-an-eea-or-swiss-national/eu-treaty-rights/
To be eligible to apply for a Residence Card as a qualifying family member both you and your EU, EEA or Swiss family member must be living in Ireland.
Your EU, EEA or Swiss family member must be exercising their free movement rights in Ireland. This means that they are either employed, self-employed, pursuing a course of study or living in Ireland with sufficient resources.
- https://www.irishimmigration.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/EUTR-1and-EURT-1A-combined-explanatory-leaflet-1.pdf
D. Involuntary unemployment
Where the EEA national has been employed in the State for more than one year but has become
involuntarily unemployed, and has registered as a job seeker with a relevant office of the Department of
Social Protection.
- https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2015/si/548/made/en/print
(3)(
a
) A Union citizen to whom Regulation 3(1)(
a
) applies may reside in the State for a period that is longer than 3 months if he or she—
(i) is in employment or in self-employment in the State,
(ii) has sufficient resources for himself or herself and his or her family members not to become an unreasonable burden on the social assistance system of the State, and has comprehensive sickness insurance in respect of himself or herself and his or her family members,
(iii) is enrolled in an educational establishment accredited or financed by the State for the principal purpose of following a course of study there
- https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2015/si/548/made/en/print
(5)(
a
) Where a Union citizen has an entitlement to reside in the State under paragraph (3)(
a
)(iii), a person to whom subparagraph (
b
) applies may apply to the Minister for a permission to remain in the State with that Union citizen.
(
b
) This paragraph applies to a direct relative in the ascending line of the Union citizen, or of the Union citizen’s spouse or civil partner, who is dependent on the Union citizen, or on the Union citizen’s spouse or civil partner.
(
c
) In order to decide whether to grant a permission under paragraph (
a
), the Minister shall cause to be carried out an extensive examination of the personal circumstances of the applicant