Study in Ireland

Visa Application Procedure, Ireland Immigration Regulations:   If you are an EU citizen, there are no visa requirements when entering Ireland. If you are not an EU citizen please contact your nearest Irish Embassy or Consulate to find out whether or not you require an entry visa or you may enquire from the Department of Foreign Affairs.   Those who do not have an Irish diplomatic mission in their home country should apply directly for a visa application form, well in advance of their departure, to:   Visa Section Irish Naturalisation & Immigration Service, Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, 13/14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2 Email: visamail@justice.ie This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it     Please note that, it is possible for international students who require a visa and are residing in certain countries to apply directly to the Department of Foreign Affairs online. A full list of these countries and the link to the online application form is available at www.inis.gov.ie     Please note that, although applications may be made through the Department of Foreign Affairs, the decision on visa applications will be made by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Important: Apply for your visa well in advance and allow six to eight weeks for your application to be processed if you are applying from abroad. In their application students will be asked to supply the following information: Valid passport: Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after the expected completion of your studies in Ireland. If you hold any previous passport, you should also submit this with your application.   Evidence of Course:   A letter of Acceptance from the college, confirming you have been accepted and enrolled on a course of full-time education, involving a minimum of 15 hours organised daytime study each week. This letter should specify the course you will be studying. It should confirm the amount of fees payable for your course, and that this amount has been paid.   If the college has taken out medical insurance on your behalf, details of this must be contained in this letter of acceptance.   Note: The educational and other credentials of a college will be taken into consideration by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform in reaching a decision on a visa application. Recognition by the Department of Education and Science through ACELS meets these criteria in the case of English language schools.   Ability to Follow Your Chosen Course: You must provide evidence that you have attained the necessary level of academic achievement required to follow your chosen course.   Such evidence will include - exam results, qualifications obtained and certificates proving this level of English   Level of English: You must show that you have the capacity to fully partake in your chosen course through the medium of English and satisfy the Visa Officer in this regard. It is recommended that all applicants, regardless of nationality or educational background, undertake the IELTS test, and provide the original certificate with your visa application. Other acceptalbe certificates will be those from an internationally recognised test such as TOEFL or Cambridge or ETAPP   Failure to provide such a certificate may result in delays in processing your application, and possible refusal of same. Submission of false or fraudulent certicates with your application will result in it being refused and no appeal will be permitted. Any certificate must have been issued within 2 years of the expected commencement date of your course. The recommended band scores are : · IELTS minimum score of 5 · TOEFL minimum score of: o 173 (Computer-based) o 61 (Internet-based) o 500 (Paper-based) · Cambridge First Certificate in English (FCE) or higher · ETAPP - Minimum grade of B2   NOTE: This is for immigration purposes only if the English language requirement of the college is higher than the scores above, you must meet the college requirements. (Students applying solely for an English Language course are currently exempt from this requirement).   Short -term Preparatory English Language Courses If you have been accepted on a specific course of studies, but you need, or are required, to complete preparatory course of English prior to commencing your main course, the following requirements apply: English language course must be short term, and not exceed a maximum duration of 6 months You must submit a detailed study plan, including the duration and dates of your preliminary English course, and details and dates of your main course of study Fees for both the English preparatory courses AND the first year of your main course must be paid in full to the college English Language Requirements for such courses: IELTS - minimum score of 137 (Computer based), 47 (Internet-based), 457 (Paper-based) Cambridge - PET (Preliminary English Test) ETAPP - Minimum grade of B1     · Fees: Where the course fees are less than €6,000, fees must be paid in full to the college, prior to applying for your visa. Evidence of the amount paid should be included in your Letter of Acceptance from the college. Where the course fees are in excess of €6,000, you must pay at least this amount prior to applying for your visa, and evidence of this should be shown in your Letter of Acceptance. Private Medical Insurance: Every student should have full private medical insurance. Evidence of such insurance cover will be taken to be the Letter of Acceptance provided by the host school, college, university or other education institution.This Letter of Acceptance will contail details of the insurance cover taken out on behalf of each student by the host school, college, university or other educational institution on behalf of the student. Alternative evidence will be taken to be a Certificate of Private Insurance taken out by the student in his or her own country prior to travel.   Family Members: Applicants should disclose details of family members who are already residing in Ireland or in other EU countries. For this purpose family members include first cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews or grandparents. The granting of a student visa does not entitle you to have family members join you in Ireland.   Electronic Transfer of Funds: From the 14th July, 2008, all student visa applications should contain a copy of an Electronic Transfer of Funds from the applicant to the Irish Bank of the college, showing details of beneficiary's name, address, bank details and the same details for sender.   Applicant's Self-sufficiency: Applicants must provide evidence that they have sufficient funds to support their stay in Ireland, including emergencies, without recourse to State funds. You must also demonstrate that you or your sponsor has ready access to an amount of at least €7000 for each subsequent year of your studies, in addition to the course fees for each of those years. Bank statements which clearly identify the holder together with a translation and details of conversion rates at the approximate date of application are required. Please note that although you may be permitted to work part-time in Ireland during your Studies, these potential earnings will not be taken into account when assessing your financial capabilities . If your studies were funded by a scholarship please provide details of the funding and a letter in support of this. A statement of purpose explaining why you wish to study in Ireland A detailed Curriculum Vitae with no gaps in history Employment Details of applicant in Country of origin: If the applicant is in employment the employer must state That all course costs are being met by the Employer or, if the employee is meeting the costs, the employer must state that in the opinion of the employer the employee has the financial resources to meet all such costs The length of leave being granted to the employee and this must not differ from the stated duration of the course on which the applicant has been accepted The purpose of participating in the proposed course of study The applicants level of pay and the currency it is received in 3 Recent passport photographs The granting of a Student Visa does not entitle you to have any family members join you in Ireland.   Decisions The processing times for Student Visa Applications vary depending on the volume of applications lodged, and the time it takes for an application to reach the Visa section in Dublin from the Embassy in which it was lodged You should allow as much time as possible when applying for a visa but a minimum time of 8 weeks is recommended. Visa decisions are published weekly on www.justice.ie You can check a decision by entering the Visa Reference Number.   Right of Appeal If you are refused a visa you may appeal this decision within 2 months Appeals must be submitted in writing to:   The Visa Appeals Officer, Department of Justice, Equality & Law Reform 13-14 Burgh Quay Dublin 2 Ireland   If you applied to the Visa Office in Abuja, Beijing, Cairo, London, Moscow or New Delhi, you should submit your appeal to the relevant office.   Your appeal should fully address all the reasons for which your application was refused. Any additional supporting documentation should be submitted with your appeal for consideration. You must quote your Visa Reference Number on your appeal, along with your name and nationality.There is no fee payable for appealing a visa refusal decision. There will be no appeal allowed if you are found to have given false or misleading information in any part of your application, or submitted false, forged or fraudulent documentation. Re-Entry Visa The initial visa issued to you will be valid for a single entry to the State If you have a valid reason for leaving the State for a short period of time you must apply, in advance of making any arrangments, to the Department of Foreign Affairs, for a re-entry visa. You must be able to prove you will be continuing with your studies on your return to the State Before a re-entry visa can be issued, you must be registered with the Garda National Immigration Bureau For information on how and where you can apply for a Re-Entry visa please see link to 'Re-entry Visas' on www.justice.ie It is your responsbility to ensure you have the correct visa (where relevant) for the country you intend travelling to Note: A visa must be obtained from the UK authorities prior to travelling to Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland consists of Counties Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone)   Study Visa Renewal   You are responsible for renewing your GNIB registration card each time it expires. It will usually expire at the end of your academic year, and must be renewed for the coming academic year of your course. To renew your GNIB registration card, you will need a letter from the colleges with details of your course and your course attendance over the past year. Note that if your attendance is low, you may not be given permission to stay for the next year of your course.   Entitlement to take up casual employment Only students attending a full time course of at least one year's duration leading to a qualification recognised by the Department of Education and Science will be entitled to take up casual employment (defined as up to 20 hours part time work per week or full time work during college vacation periods). Access to employment is denied to all other students. Casual employment is defined as up to a maximum of 20 hours part time work per week, or full time work during normal college vacation periods. Such work should not interfere with your course attendance, as failure to provide evidence of a satisfactory attendance record will result in refusal of any extension to your permission to remain. The entitlement to casual employment will cease on completion of your college course . The stamp placed in your passport by GNIB will indicate whether or not you are permitted to take up casual employment. If you are in doubt about this you should check with GNIB before you accept any job offer. Any breach of your visa conditions will lead to a review of your case and possible removal from the State Students Under 18 Years of Age Any person who wishes to pursue a course of study in Ireland must be enrolled at a private fee-paying school or college The requirements outlined above will apply for all students Parental consent from both parents (where applicable) is required The granting of a visa to a person under the age of 18 years for the purpose of study does not give any entitlement to any other family member to accompany or join the student in the State Details of the person in whose care the minor shall be  must be provided with the application The provisions of Part IVB of the Children Act 2001 will when examining such applications see website: http://acts.oireachtas.ie/en.act.2001.0024.4.html