My name is Ratna and I have been waiting for my spouse to join me in Ireland for more than a year now. This is due to Covid 19 situation and the temporary holding of join family visa processes. First, I had to wait for a job in Covid situation, then had to wait for CSEP and finally for my IRP card with a new stamp. Once I had all my documents ready, pausing the visa acceptance news in Irelands saddened me. It is quite frustrating to continuously wait without an end time on when the visa processes/international travel would  begin.

As an international resident in Ireland, I can't even go to visit my family in India without any essential reason and at the same time my spouse won't be able to travel here without a visa. Like me, there are several families and in some cases families with kids are highly impacted with these restrictions.  

I kindly request you to permit the Long stay visas (D type) as there are many international (non-EEA) families impacted and are unable to join their respective families. 

I agree that we all are going through a series of unprecedented spread of the pandemic, but being close to the family at such times is the best support we all can have.  Resuming the visa applications at the earliest would greatly benefit the international residents in Ireland.