Student Visa for Study in Ireland

Should you need a student visa to study in Ireland at the Irish College of English, being a citizen of a country that requires a visa for entry, please see below for some useful information on how to apply for your Irish student visa and access to employment when studying here:

EU/EEA Students:
Please note that students from the EU/EEA do not require a student visa to study English in Ireland.

Click here for a list of countries whose citizens do not require a visa.

Documents Required for Irish Visa Application:
If you require a visa to study in Ireland, here is a list of the documents that you need to present to your nearest Irish embassy or consulate with your visa application

• A letter of acceptance from The Irish College of English (a school recognised by the Department of Education) confirming that you have been accepted on a full time course of study lasting an academic year for the 3 courses listed further below.
  
  The following 3 programmes are also included on the Department of Education and Science’s Internationalisation register of programmes approved by the Minister for Education and Science for the purpose of access to employment by students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland:
  
  
  • 1 year Business English Course
    (leading to the Cambridge Business English Certificate -BEC Exam) (15 hrs per week)
    
    
  • 1 year General English Course
    (leading to the First Certificate/Advanced Certificate FCE/CAE Exam) (15 hrs per week)
  
  
  • General English Course (25 weeks/ 36 weeks/ 48 weeks)
    (leading to the First Certificate/Advanced Certificate FCE/CAE Exam) (15 hrs per week)
    
    
    
• Evidence that the fees for the course have been paid in full. (Should your study visa not be granted, the Irish College of English will return your fees in full except for 50 euro which we retain for administration fees)
  
  
• Evidence that you have enough funds to maintain yourself for at least the initial part of your stay in Ireland.
  
  
• Copies of your educational qualifications.
  
  
• Evidence that you have Medical Insurance.
  
  

The Right to Work & Study in Ireland:

As a visa student in Ireland, you must register as a full-time student with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB - The Irish Police) and then you will also be permitted to work part-time in Ireland (up to a maximum of 20 hours a week and full-time during vacation periods) to support yourself. At the Irish College of English, we will help and guide you with this process.

For more information see: http://www.justice.ie

Check if you require a visa for entering Ireland:

Citizens of an EU/EEA member State do not require a visa to study in Ireland.

Here is a list of countries which do not require a visa. If you are a citizen of a country not on this list you may require a visa.

Andorra	Antigua & Barbuda
Argentina	Australia
Bahamas	Barbados
Belize	Bolivia
Botswana	Brazil
Brunei	Canada
Chile	Costa Rica
Croatia	Dominica
El Salvador	Fiji
Grenada	Guatemala
Guyana	Honduras
Hong Kong*	Iceland
Israel	Japan
Kiribati	Lesotho
Liechtenstein	Malawi
Malaysia	Mauritius
Mexico	Monaco
Nauru	New Zealand
Nicaragua	Macau (Special Admin. Region)
Maldives	Norway
Panama	Saint Kitts and Nevis
Paraguay	Samoa
Saint Lucia	Saint Vincent & the Grenadines
San Marino	Seychelles
Singapore	Solomon Islands
South Africa	South Korea
Swaziland	Switzerland
Tonga	Trinidad and Tobago
Tuvala	United States
Uruguay	Vanuata
Vatican City	Venezuela

Hong Kong's regulations differ depending on passport held.

British Dependent Territories(Colonies), which are:

• Anguilla
• Bermuda
• British Antarctic Territory (South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands)
• British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago, Peros Banos, Diego Garcia, Danger Island)
• Cayman Islands
• Falkland Islands and Dependencies
• Gibraltar
• Montserrat
• Pitcairn (Henderson, Ducie and Oneno Islands)
• St. Helena and Dependencies (Ascension Island, Tristan Da Cunha)
• The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia
• Turks and Caicos Island
• British Virgin Islands