Trevor Sargent
Question:169 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he plans to make it easier for students coming here to get one year visas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14138/03]
Written Answers. - Student Visas.
The granting of an Irish visa is, in effect, only a form of pre-entry clearance. It does not grant permission to enter or remain in Ireland. The date of validity shown on a visa indicates only the date before which it must be presented to an immigration officer at the port of entry. Immigration officers have the authority to grant or deny admission and to decide on the length of stay in the State.
With regard to student visas, my Department has for a number of years had in place a set of detailed student visa guidelines. These have been circulated to relevant education institutions and are also available on my Department's website. They are intended to assist frequent and high volume users of the student visa scheme. In general terms, however, the principal criteria applied are that the prospective student should have enrolled in a full-time course of study, should have paid fees in full for that course and should have evidence that they have sufficient funds to support themselves during their stay in the State.
Where such persons intend to stay for longer than 90 days, they are required to register with the Garda registration office for the area in which they intend to reside. The standard practice is for the registration office to grant permission to remain in the State for the duration of the course, up to a maximum of one year at a time. It is possible to obtain an extension of permission to remain in order to continue with the course of study or to move to a new course, provided the above criteria continue to be met. During 2000, an additional requirement was introduced whereby students seeking a renewal of permission to remain are now required to provide a letter from their college certifying that their attendance over the preceding period has been satisfactory; attendance of 80% or more is regarded as satisfactory. In general these arrangements are working well and facilitate the many thousands of genuine students who wish to study in Ireland.