De Facto Partnership Visa:How do long distance relationships qualify?

[QSinger]

Hi,

I've been doing research for the past for the past 6 months on Dublin, Ireland and how exactly I can immigrate to the country with my girlfriend of 6 years. My girlfriend, who's an EU citizen, landed a 3 year contract job and a sponsorship in Dublin last October, and since then I've been researching the De facto partnership visa. Our situation is pretty strange however, as we've been together for 5 and half years, but throughout the last 4 years we've been in a long distance relationship between the US and Italy (I'm a US citizen she's an Italian citizen); we were both attending our undergraduate and completing our education. So we haven't lived together straight for 2 years, which is the qualifying time period it says in the de fact application, however, we've been in a committed relationship together for over twice that frame, and we consistently would visit each other every opportunity possible (winter, spring, summer breaks during school). Also, prior to starting long distance we were together (in the US) for exactly a year straight, as we were both in the US completing our senior year of high school.

Like I said, our situation is rather strange, but we've been in a very committed relationship for the last 5 and half years, despite having to do long distance for roughly 4 and half of those years (while still seeing/living with each other throughout those year). Does anyone know how accepting Ireland's Immigration is of a De Facto application similar to this situation, or one that has long distance history? Any information would be warmly appreciated, thank you!

[DanaMarie]

Unfortunately, if you can't prove 2 years of cohabitation you aren't going to qualify for de facto.

[littlerr]

De Facto applications have a strict requirement of minimum two years’ cohabitation.