Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 November 2020
642. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if time spent as a stamp 2 visa holder counts towards the three out of five years needed to be considered ordinarily resident for applications for Springboard+ courses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36806/20]
View answerApplicants who wish to apply for a Springboard+ course must have been ordinarily resident in an EU/EEA/Swiss state for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to the programme and meet other eligibility criteria.
A stamp 2 visa indicates permission to study a full time course on the official Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP) for a specified period, subject to conditions. Stamp 2 is not reckonable as residence for the purposes of Springboard+, therefore does not meet the eligibility criteria for participating in Springboard+. There are no plans to amend this criteria.
The Springboard+ initiative is an administrative scheme which is not underpinned by legislation and the residency rule that applies may differ from what is in place in other Government Departments.
The terms and conditions that apply to Springboard+ are applicable to all students and exceptions cannot be made in any particular case.
