Ireland Student Visa: Apply from the UK

What courses are eligible for the Ireland Student visa?

Eligible courses are full-time, daytime academic courses in Ireland. If you plan to do a distance learning or part-time course, this visa is not for you.

Alongside the full-time requirement, the applicant’s course must also lead to a major award or equivalent at or above Level 7 of the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). When it comes to major awards, there are six types in Ireland with these levels:

• Ordinary Bachelor Degree (3 years course) – NFQ Level 7
• Honours Bachelor Degree (3-4 years course) – NFQ Level 8
• Higher Diploma (1 year) –  NFQ Level 8
• Postgraduate Diploma (1 year) – NFQ Level 9
• Masters Degree (1-2 years) – NFQ Level 9
• Doctoral Degree (about 4 years) – NFQ Level 10

In addition to being at the minimum approved level of the NFQ, your course must be in the Internationalisation Register of the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI).

Conditions of the Ireland Student Visa

Holders of the Ireland Student visa must abide by certain conditions when in Ireland on this visa.

One is the maximum time you can stay in Ireland. A student on the Long Stay Study visa can live in Ireland for a maximum of seven years to attend a course at their degree level. That is not to say everyone gets seven years; most applicants get the same duration as their course.

You may be allowed to stay longer than seven years if you are enrolled in a course with a long duration or were ill, and that prevented you from completing your course on time.

Applicants should not intend to come to Ireland on a Degree Programme course and then enrol in a non-degree or language course. Students may be able to take a foundation language course while taking their degree course if arranged in advance and stated in their application for the Student visa.

With a Student visa, your primary purpose is to study in Ireland full-time. However, students can work only part-time – up to 20 hours per week during school sessions and up to 40 hours a week during regular college holiday periods.

Conditions for maintaining an Ireland Student visa

When you obtain a student visa, there are certain conditions you must meet to maintain your immigration permission. They include:

• You must demonstrate that you are progressing academically each year
• You must provide proof that your course fees have been paid in full
• You must not avail of state benefits
• You must plan your educational programme to fit into the allowable seven-year timeframe.
• You must have maintained private medical insurance for the previous registration period.
• You must not have moved to a language and non-degree programme course.

Now that you know the conditions for obtaining this visa and maintaining it if you get it, let’s look into how to apply and the documents you need. For more information or assistance, call us on 0333 305 9375 today.

English and Irish Language requirements

International students in Ireland must show they have the capacity to take their course in English. The Ireland authorities have some minimum standards already set, but that for your course as set down by your Irish university may be different.

There are a few accepted tests, each with a minimum score you should get before applying for your student visa. Regardless of the test you take, your certificate must not have been issued for longer than two years before the expected start date of your course. The Irish authority accepts three years in a few cases.

Please note that those coming to take an English language course are not required to provide evidence of their level of English from a test provider when applying. Still, they may be asked by a visa officer to provide alternative proof of a basic level of English before travelling to the State.

If you are doing a course taught in Irish and not English, you are to prove you can take the course in Irish. To do this, you are to include a written statement from the school or college that details how they assessed your ability to speak and write in Irish.

Financial requirements for international students

To obtain the Irish Student visa, you must prove you have enough money to support your stay in the country without relying on public funds or salary from your casual employment.

The minimum required funds are €7,000 to cover the cost of living for one academic year. So, you must show evidence that you have immediate access to at least €7,000 and ready access (you or your sponsor) to at least €7,000 and course fees for each subsequent year of your study in Ireland.

To prove you meet these requirements, you must provide certain documents, such as an up-to-date bank statement showing transactions over the last six months. If you have a sponsor (family member/friend), you must provide information about them, including:

• How they are related to you with evidence
• Details of the financial support they are providing to you during your state in Ireland
• How much they intend to give you that is available
• Proof they have enough funds to maintain themselves and dependents, apart from what they give to you, such as a letter from their employer confirming employment details and recent payslips.

Required documents for the long stay study visa

The required and supporting documents for the Irish student visa application include:

• Application Summary document
• Application letter
• Two colour passport-sized photographs that are not more than 6 months old
• Current passport and copies of all previous passports
• Proof that you have enrolled on a privately funded course
• Evidence accounting for any gaps in your educational history
• Proof of payment of tuition fees and other fees
• Evidence that you have the academic ability to follow your chosen course
• Proof of your level of English or Irish
• Proof you meet the financial requirements
• Evidence of your Private Medical Insurance
• Previous Visa Refusals, if you have any

Ireland Student visa application process

The Ireland Student visa application process is pretty straightforward. To start, applicants are to complete the online application form. Submitting that will result in a summary application form which will contain instructions on how to submit your supporting documentation.

You are to print, sign and date the summary application form and submit that with your supporting documents. Your summary may include the address of the visa office, embassy or consulate that you will submit the documents.

Also, you may be required to pay the visa fee, which may be €60 or €100, depending on if you want a single entry or multiple entry visa. Also, some visa offices, embassies and consulates have extra charges related to submitting your documents.

Finally, some foreign nationals may be asked to provide their biometrics as part of the application process. If you are requested to do so, you will likely be able to do so at the Irish embassy or visa application centre in the UK.

How long is the processing time for the Ireland Student visa?

Most Ireland Student visa applications take around 8 weeks to be processed from when the application and documents are submitted.

Some applications may take longer due to incorrect or incomplete documentation or a need to verify your documents, or personal circumstances such as criminal convictions.

Applications are processed in date order, so if there are so many applications before yours, you may get a decision later than eight weeks. Also, processing times may be longer at the Irish embassy or visa application centre in the UK. It is recommended that you apply at least three months before your intended travel date to give enough time for delays in processing.

Whether you need your Ireland Student visa within a few weeks or months, you can reach out to us. Our immigration lawyers will access your eligibility, provide advice on the documents that will help prepare the best application. If there are opportunities to fast-track your application, we will do that as well, so you get your visa as soon as possible.