Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 March 2013
188. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will extend a student visa as a matter of urgency in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15820/13]
View answerI have been informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that an application was received for permission to remain in the State from the person mentioned on 20 July 2012. An examination of this case indicated that this person arrived in Ireland on 12 April 2006 and was registered in the State as a Student until 12 June 2012. The person concerned was informed by letter dated 24 January 2013 that a temporary extension of her student permission was authorised up to 8 March 2013. She was informed at that time that if at the end of this temporary extension period she was not in a position to provide evidence of having enrolled and paid fees on a Degree Programme course as defined by the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland she would not be granted further permission to remain in Ireland.
I am informed by INIS that the six week period allowed to the person concerned to enrol on a Degree Programme course is the standard extension period that applies in such cases. She has therefore been afforded every opportunity to regularise her position in the State.
All non-EEA students resident in the State are subject to the student immigration rules set out under the "new immigration regime for full time non-EEA students which was published in September 2010 and has been in effect since 1 January 2011. These rules stipulate that non-EEA nationals may reside in Ireland as students, subject to the provisions of the new regime, for a maximum period of seven years. As this person arrived in the State in 2006 she is now classified as a timed out Student.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up-to-date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from the INIS is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
