Susan

That's actually quite useful information that she gave you (even if it seems trivial). What I mean by that, is that unlike what I've seen in the US, it is very common for Irish youth to continue living with their parents well in to their 20's. I know he still is beyond the 'kid' years where he can just tag along, but I would certainly lean on the fact that he has no where else to go in your letter.

Liam

the letter definitely leans that way. it just made me laugh because i had so many questions and that was her answer to all 🙂
i am going to post it tomorrow. hopefully they will respond soon. we are going over in a month so it would be nice to get something sorted while we are there (or before!)
thanks for your feedback!

i finally got a response from the letter i wrote to INIS. to sum it up, it says "tough luck, kid." but our other plan is better. still working on it... will keep you posted.

I want to share an interesting article from the Irish Times Generation Emigration section that I read today, which was written in response to the new Irish budget.

The opinion of the writer (a young Irish woman living in Australia) is that the budget hasn't really done a lot to encourage the Irish abroad to move home.
You can read it for yourselves here
http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/generation-emigration/the-budget-won-t-have-us-racing-home-from-sydney-1.2394432

The writer says that she wants "to come back to a country that is building towards creating affordable, accessible services and liveable, inclusive spaces."

Services are for sure lacking in Ireland in comparison to California, and I guess in comparison with Australia too, but I'm not too sure what she means by "liveable, inclusive spaces."

It'd be interesting to hear from others who have experienced life outside Ireland to see how our services compare (quality and cost).

Important information for returning Irish citizens, courtesy of The Migrant Project

"If you are an Irish citizen returning to Ireland with a non-EEA spouse, civil partner, de facto partner or other family member, you should be aware that there is no automatic entitlement under Irish law for you to have them join you in Ireland. They may need to apply for a visa before coming to Ireland."

For more information/leaflets on this topic, click through to:
http://www.migrantproject.ie/index.php/returning-to-ireland/residency-information