While student immigration is primarily a matter for the Minister for Justice and Equality, the Government has a co-ordinated policy and approach to improving Ireland's competitiveness as a centre for international education, through implementation of the international education strategy 2010-2015 and the new student immigration regime.
My Department is in constant contact with both the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of Justice and Equality in this regard. Officials from both Departments were represented on the group which developed the international education strategy 2010-2015. My Department was represented on the committee which developed the revised student immigration regime, which is supportive of high-quality operators.
Both Departments are also represented on the high level group on international education, which is chaired by my Department and which brings together representatives from the relevant Government Departments, State agencies and the education sector in order to implement co-ordinated national approaches to internationalisation.