MINISTER FOR Justice Dermot Ahern has proposed capping at five years the amount of time someone from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) can spend in the State as a student.
A discussion document on reform of the student immigration system, published yesterday, also proposes introducing a two-tier system to target incentives at the “upper end of the academic spectrum” and tighter inspection of educational institutions.
Further restrictions would be introduced on the placement of non-EEA children in Irish schools in receipt of State funding, although the document raises the possibility that students could pay an “immigration levy” set by the Government as a means of recovering the costs of their child’s education.
Mr Ahern said the student immigration review was part of a comprehensive overhaul of the international education system in Ireland. The 20 proposals would apply to all full-time students from outside the EEA, which comprises the 27 EU members plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
The Minister framed the review as an attempt to improve Ireland’s standing in the lucrative market for foreign students, while preventing abuse of student immigration rules. “We need to take a fresh look at how we are dealing with non-EEA students,” he said in a statement.
“International education is a vital industry with significant growth potential and we will only achieve that potential by having a visibly strong regulatory environment.”
Under the proposals students should, with limited exceptions, spend no more than five years in Ireland as a student overall, with a limit of two years in further education or English language courses.
The Minister said a “significant number of language students in particular were enrolling year after year as a means of remaining in the State and working”. While accepting that the great majority of education providers offered a “quality product”, Mr Ahern said it was in everyone’s interest to root out those who did not or who abused the system. The document endorses tighter inspection of institutions and the establishment of a quality mark, with courses not meeting standards losing their recognition for immigration purposes.
On students’ right to take up paid work, the document does not propose any changes to the current system, whereby full-time non-EEA students are permitted to work 20 hours a week during term time and 40 hours per week outside that.
However, it proposes that, “in the interests of general consistency and in the context of the current economic climate” this issue should be further analysed.
According to figures from the Department of Justice, some 34,557 full-time non-EEA students were registered last March. Some 38 per cent were in higher education, while 30 per cent were English language students and 26 per cent were in further education.
Chinese students accounted for the largest single group in higher education (32 per cent), while Brazilians (at 40 per cent) outnumbered all other nationalities in English-language schools.
Department of Justice invited submissions on the draft proposals, which can be viewed on its website, www.justice.ie
MAIN POINTS
- Creation of a two-tier system for foreign students: Tier 1 degree level and above; Tier 2 English language and further education sectors.
- Capping the time a student can spend in Tier 2 to two years; and five years overall (with exceptions for Masters and PhDs or courses such as medicine).
- A quality mark should be established, with courses not achieving the standard no longer recognised.
- Increased focus on inspection. Consideration should be given to a licensing system for providers of education to overseas students.
- Further restrictions on placement of non-EEA children in Irish schools in receipt of State funding.
