Status while in stamp 4 limbo
Hi all, wondering if anyone has any thoughts about my situation below.
My family moved to Ireland last year, and I applied for a stamp 4-EUfam in September. (I started the paper application before the online application started, and didn't realize until after I applied that I could have submitted online.) In October, I got a letter asking for one additional document, which I sent in same the day, and also directing me to attend in Dublin and obtain a temporary stamp 4 valid through March. I got my temporary stamp 4/IRP in February (earliest possible appointment).
I asked at my registration appointment if there was any timing estimate on the adjudication of my application, since the temporary stamp would expire within six weeks. I was told not to worry, I would hear something before the expiration date. Of course, I worried, and submitted a portal query two weeks before IRP expiration asking how to extend my temporary stamp. The response said "your application is in the final stage." I assumed they meant no need to extend, I will get a decision imminently.
My IRP expired without hearing anything, so I sent another portal query asking how to extend my temporary stamp, and I get the response back, "you may remain in Ireland throughout the application process." It didn't explicitly answer my question, but I assumed it meant I didn't need to do anything, and I should just wait patiently.
It is now two months after IRP expiration, eight months after initial application, and still no word. I have no documentation proving any legal right after mid-March, aside from a portal message saying I could stay in Ireland. But is my temporary stamp 4 basically extended, or am I just tolerated but not really resident? For example, am I still allowed to work, and if so, how would I prove that to an employer? I have reached out on the portal twice, trying to get some clarity, and have received no response.
I understand there is a backlog and I need to wait, and I am not looking for any kind of expedited treatment. I just want to make sure I am doing everything correctly and there is nothing I should be doing to extend my stamp. There is an "extend temporary stamp" option on the portal, suggesting that is a thing one might need to do, but when I raise a query using that option, I don't get a response.
I assume it is just the backlog and unlucky timing for me, but when I hear nothing even after reaching out (they have always responded promptly before), I start to worry there is a problem. My application seems very straightforward and properly documented, but it seems to have been just waiting since October.
Has anyone else experienced similar?