Technical legal services for immigration matters, including judicial reviews in the superior courts, visa appeals, and complex discretionary applications.
Challenging unlawful, irrational, or unprocedural immigration decisions, deportations, and visa visa refusals before the High Court.
Drafting robust legal submissions to reverse negative visa decisions issued by immigration offices for family, work, or study requests.
Drafting custom discretionary applications.
You can appeal most refused visa decisions within the established timeframe. However, from 29 May 2026, applicants who are refused a short‑stay (C) visa, with the exception of third‑country nationals who fall within the scope of the EU Free Movement Directive, are no longer be able to appeal that decision.
You must submit a written appeal to the Visa Appeals Officer within two months of the date on the refusal letter, unless a different deadline or procedure is stated in the refusal letter itself.
Your written appeal must include a detailed explanation addressing each of the grounds for refusal. You must also provide any additional supporting evidence.
There is no statutory fee for a visa appeal.
Processing times vary depending on the type of application and the embassy reviewing the appeal.
Current processing times for visa appeals received by the Dublin visa office can be viewed here: www.irishimmigration.ie/visa-decisions
Processing times for visa appeals received by seven overseas offices can be found here:
Please note that not all offices keep up‑to‑date processing times.
If your appeal is unsuccessful, applying for a Judicial Review in the High Court is the next potential option, provided you believe the refusal was unjust or unlawful.
A Judicial Review application is made when a person seeks a court order regarding a refusal by an immigration officer. Judicial Review is not an appeal. The court will consider whether the immigration officer and the Minister for Justice followed fair and lawful procedures, took all relevant factors into account, and acted within their legal authority. It does not re‑evaluate the facts of the visa application.
Grounds often include legal or procedural errors, for example, the Minister misinterpreting the law, ignoring crucial evidence, or failing to give the application fair consideration.
No. It is not a re‑hearing of your visa application. A successful challenge means the court sends the decision back to the Minister for Justice to be reconsidered lawfully.
A discretionary application asks the Minister for Justice to use their legal power to make a decision based on individual circumstances, even if the strict criteria are not fully met.
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