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Visa Requirements

STUDENT VISA REQUIREMENTS (as per www.justice.ie)

NOTE: These requirements are intended to act as a guideline only and do not limit the discretion of the visa officer in determining individual applications.
They are subject to change as we continue in our efforts to provide a more efficient service to our customers. You should therefore regularly check for the most recent version which will have the date of implementation at the bottom of this document.
The following information outlines the minimum documentation you must submit with your application.

Please read carefully.

The Application Form should be submitted along with ALL supporting documentation.
Original documents are required and must be in ENGLISH or accompanied by a notarised translation of same. All documents must be clearly legible.The Visa Officer will need to easily identify what they are and to whom they refer.
Any unsigned declarations, false information, forged or fraudulent documentation will result in the refusal of your application and no appeal will be permitted.
The onus is on you, the applicant, to satisfy the Visa Officer that a visa should be granted.
The granting of a Student Visa does not entitle you to have any person, whether related to you or not, to join or visit you in Ireland.

In applying for a Student Visa you must be able to show that:
You are enrolled on a privately funded course involving at least 15 hours of organised daytime tuition each week.
You have paid the requisite fees to the college
You have the academic ability to follow your chosen course.
You have a level of English language sufficient to do so (except in the case of an application which is solely for an English language course)
You have immediate access to at least €7,000. This is the estimated cost of living in Ireland for a student for one academic year.
You must also demonstrate that you or your sponsor has ready access to an amount of at least €7,000 for each subsequent year of your studies, in addition to the course fees for each of those years. 
You have private medical insurance. 
You can account for any gaps in your educational history. 
Your intention is to return to your country of permanent residence following completion of your studies in Ireland

There now follows an explanation of what will be accepted as evidence for the above requirements. Please ensure you read this carefully and submit ALL documents with your application. Again, it is important that these are original, clearly legible documents, in English, or accompanied by a notarised translation. They should clearly indicate what they are and to whom they refer.

 

 

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 tuition each week. This letter should specify the course you will be studying.
It should also 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.
Please refer to the list of courses recognised by the Department of Education and Science on its website: www.education.ie

 

 

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. This minimum amount is an Immigration
requirement. However, the college you wish to attend may require full payment of fees.

 

 

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.
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 International English Language Testing System (IELTS) English language test, and provide original certificate with your visa with application
Other acceptable certificates will be those from an internationally recognised test such as TOEFL or Cambridge.

Failure to provide such a certificate may result in delays in processing your application, and possible refusal of same. Submission of false or fraudulent certificates 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:
- 173 (Computer-based)
- 61 (Internet-based)
- 500 (Paper-based)
- Cambridge – First Certificate in English (FCE) or higher

These recommendations are subject to review pending advice from the Department of Education and Science (Students applying solely for an English Language course are currently exempt from this requirement).
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.

 

 

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 a 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 course AND the first year of your main course must be paid in full to the college. Evidence of this must accompany your application.

English Language Requirements for Such Courses: 
- IELTS - minimum overall band score of 4
- TOEFL - minimum score of: 
- 137 (Computer-based)
- 47 (Internet-based)
- 457 (Paper-based)
- Cambridge - PET (Preliminary English Test)

 

 

Applicants who have not completed formal 2nd Level Education
If you are applying for a course of 2nd level educational studies, the requirements outlined above for the preparatory English also apply.
NOTE: 2nd level courses can only be undertaken in a private, fee-paying school or college.

 

 

Evidence of Finances
You must show you have sufficient funds to support your stay in Ireland without recourse to public funds, or the reliance on casual employment.
If you are being sponsored by another person or persons, you must list each person and give clear details of their relationship to you. All evidence provided must be clearly identifiable as to whom it relates.
Give clear details of the financial support they will be giving you for the duration of your stay in Ireland.
Their bank account must show a good credit record for a minimum of six months immediately prior to making your application. 

As you will be required to have a minimum of €7,000 available to you during the first year of your studies, your sponsor will need to show that this amount is available to support you AND that they have enough funds to maintain themselves and other family members
Any lump sum lodgments made during the immediate three months prior to your application must be fully explained, with supporting evidence provided
For example - if such a lump sum lodgment has come from the proceeds of a sale of property or encashment of Savings Certificates, Fixed Rate Deposit accounts, or any similar type sources, then clear evidence of this must be provided. Where no evidence is provided your application will be refused.
You must also demonstrate that you or your sponsor will have ready access to an amount of at least €7,000 for each subsequent year of your studies, in addition to the course fees for each of those years.
Evidence accepted will include a letter from your sponsor’s employer confirming employment details, plus 4 recent payslips. This letter should include contact details for the employer, including name, address, and phone number (landline, not mobile).
If your sponsor is involved in business, evidence of this must be provided, such as a Certificate of Registration from the authorities in your country.
All financial documentation should clearly indicate what it is and to whom it relates.
All bank statements should include the name and address of the account holder and the account number. They should also include full contact details of the bank – name, full address of branch where account is held, telephone number (landline, not mobile), e-mail and website addresses (where available).
Where this information is not normally available on a bank statement, it should be accompanied by a letter from the bank, on official bank stationery, giving these details. Where a bank statement or a letter from the bank is submitted giving only a mobile phone number, post box number as address, or an email address of Yahoo, Hotmail etc, this will not be considered as evidence of finances, and may in fact raise an issue of
credibility over the whole application.
The statement should cover a six-month period immediately prior to your application, and show all transactions that have taken place during this time. Handwritten entries or details on bank statements will not be accepted.

Any documents not in English must be translated.

 

 

Medical Insurance
Private medical insurance cover is required.
Your college may arrange this on your behalf. If so, details of this must be included in your Letter of Acceptance from the college. If it is not arranged by the college, you must organise this yourself and provide evidence with your application.

 

 

Educational and Employment History
You must provide full details of your previous education on the application form.
You must submit all exam results obtained, along with your qualification certificates
You must provide information to account for any gaps between your last period of full time education and your application to study in Ireland.
If any such gap in education has been filled by periods of employment, you must give full details of your employment history.
If your employment history or educational background have no obvious connection to the course you now wish to pursue, you must give a full explanation of why you are now embarking on a change of career.

 

 

Immigration History
You must provide full details of all visa applications you have made for any country, including Ireland. If you have ever been refused a visa for any country, you must submit the original letter of refusal that issued to you by the Authorities of that State
If you have ever been in Ireland before, whether legally or illegally, you must give details of your time here.
Failure to disclose any of the above details will result in your current application being refused.