This is really a coverletter to summarise your application. Now, as an SA passport holder, you will be sitting in front of a Garda Immigration person not sending this application away as a visa required person would have to before coming to Ireland.

Your letter must also include a commitment from you that you will:

• Obey the conditions of your visa in full
• Not rely on public services (for example, public hospitals) or become a burden on the State
• Leave Ireland before your immigration permission expires.

They may take pictures anyway at Garda Immigration, but have these anyway

Your current passport and all previous ones

The letter should:

• Confirm that you have been accepted and enrolled on a course of full-time education, involving a minimum of 15 hours organised daytime tuition each week
• Give details of the course that you will be studying
• State the amount of fees payable for your course and
• State the amount that you paid State if applicable, that the college has taken out medical insurance on your behalf. If they have not taken out private medical for you, you need proof of having done so yourself

Note: Where the course fees are less than €6,000, you must pay fees in full to the college before to applying for your visa.

Where the course fees are more than €6,000, you must pay at least this amount before applying for your visa. Evidence of this should be visible in your Letter of Acceptance. This minimum amount is an Immigration requirement. However the college you wish to attend may ask for full payment of fees.

The €3000 registration fee at the University or College should also be paid and included on the letter.

• You must provide information on any gaps since your last period of full time education. This must include the periods of time until your application to study in Ireland.
• You must give full details of your employment history. We need this if you have filled any gap in education by periods of employment.

• You must provide a copy of an Electronic Transfer of Funds (ETF) to the Irish Bank of the college. This must show details of the beneficiary’s name, address, bank details and the same details for sender

OR

• a valid receipt showing that the course fees have been lodged to an approved student fees payment service. For example, the electronic fee payment service offered by Pay to Study, formerly known as International Student Payments Service (ISPS).

You must provide evidence that you have the ability to follow your chosen course. For example, previous exam results or qualifications.

• You must show that you have the capacity to do your chosen course through the medium of English. If you apply for an English language course, you must have a basic level of English before coming to Ireland. The minimum standard of English for visa purposes is set out in the English language requirements for study visas document. Please submit a Certificate from the test provider with your visa application. This must show the results of your English language test.
• If you are doing a course taught in the Irish language then you must show that you have the capacity to do so. You must include a written statement from the school or college. This must set out the manner in which they have assessed your ability to speak and write in Irish.

• You must show that you have enough funds to support your stay in Ireland. This should be without recourse to public funds, or the reliance on casual employment.
• Read more here on the financial requirements that you must meet. This includes the evidence that you must submit with your visa application.
• You must show you have sufficient funds to support your stay in Ireland without recourse to public funds, or the reliance on casual employment.
• You must show evidence that you have immediate access to at least €7,000. This is the estimated cost of living in Ireland for a student for one academic year.
• You must also demonstrate that you and/or your sponsor(s) have ready access to at least €7,000 for each subsequent year of your studies in addition to course fees for each of those years.

Your finances

You must provide the following in relation to your finances.

• You must provide an up-to-date bank statement, showing what money has been paid into and out of the account over the last six months. You must submit this whether you are covering the costs of your studies yourself or not
• Bank statements must be on headed paper. Where original bank statements are not available, internet printouts will be accepted once every page has been notarised by the bank and the statement is accompanied by letter from the bank confirming its authenticity. Handwritten entries or details on bank statements will not be accepted
• Your name, address, account number and account type must be visible on the statement
• Any large or irregular lodgements (for example – student loans, lodgement of Savings Certificates, the sale of a property or any similar type sources) must be fully explained
• If you are sending a bank statement from a deposit/savings account, you must also include a letter from your bank confirming that you can take money from that account
• Credit cards are not accepted as evidence of finances.

In line with the rules set out above such students must have access to €3,000 for first registration at the College or University, if it is not already paid in advance. This is outside of the €7,000 for living expenses.

Private Medical Insurance cover is required. Your college may arrange this on your behalf. If so, your Letter of Acceptance from the college must include details of this. If it is not arranged by the college, you must organise this yourself. Please provide evidence of this with your application.

• If you have been refused a visa in the past for any country, you must provide the details
• You must provide the original letter issued to you by the authorities of that country with your application
• Not disclosing any previous visa refusals will result in your application being refused

No. This will breach the conditions attached to your permission. Any breach of the conditions attached to permission to remain in Ireland as a student will be taken very seriously by the immigration authorities. In the event that a student breaches the conditions of their student permission your permission to be in the State as a student may be withdrawn. Such students will be considered illegal in the State and may be required to leave the State.

No. This will breach the conditions attached to your permission.

No. This will breach the conditions attached to your permission.

Yes. Students enrolled on courses on the Degree Programme (major awards at NFQ Level 7 or equivalent and above – see Appendix 1) are allowed to undertake an internship where this forms part of their course. This is subject to the following rules.

• The internship or work placement component of the course cannot exceed 50% of the duration of the course e.g. a 4 year course would permit 2 years of work placement. In addition the employment cannot be in a self employed capacity.
• Work placements as part of an academic programme must form an integral part of the course and their completion contribute to the final award.
• Educational establishments must also ensure that the placements are appropriate to the nature and level of the academic programme being pursued

No. In general students will continue to have no rights to Family Reunification. Some exceptions to this rule are set out below.

For visa required students your husband, wife, civil partner or child will need to make their own Visa application and this application will be judged on its own merit.

Partners, spouses and/or children will be considered as applicants in their own right but cannot advance their application for entry or residence on the basis of their relationship to another student.

Students will not be permitted to be accompanied or joined by children other than those born during their stay.

In general no, family reunification will be achieved by you visiting your children and family during academic holidays.

Exemptions from the policy of no Family Reunification will be considered where;

• The student is pursuing a course at PhD level (NFQ 10). In these cases the student will be required to progress academically (verified by letter from academic supervisor) and to complete their doctorate within 4 years; or
• The student is a participant in an academic programme agreed between the Irish State and another state whereby the student and dependants are sufficiently well funded in respect of all expenses in Ireland, or where any such agreement provides an exemption; or
• The student can demonstrate private means on an annual basis at a level that clearly allows them to support themselves and their family without recourse to public funds and without engaging in employment, and, where children are accompanying the parent, has paid an immigration levy6 set by the Government as a means of recovering the costs of the child’s education; or
• The child is on a short visit to their parent(s) who can show special circumstances and can guarantee that the child will return home at the end of their visit. Failure to comply with this condition could result in the termination of the parent’s own permission on the basis that they had breached their immigration conditions

No entitlement on the part of other family members to accompany or join the student in the State

The granting of a visa to a person under the age of 18 years for the purpose of study does not give any entitlement to any other family member to accompany or join the student in the State.