The Irish government has announced big news for international students studying Online from their home country. International students will also be eligible for work opportunities in Ireland even if they have been studying remotely in semester two. They will be welcomed to apply for the third-level graduate programme, even if they have been studying remotely from their home country.
A Stamp 1G visa is granted to international students in Ireland at both undergraduate and postgraduate level for up to two years after completing their study program. The visa permits international students to look for employment in Ireland as part of their third-level graduate programme. Graduates must genuinely put efforts to secure suitable employment by attending job interviews or signing up with employment agencies.
A representative from The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science informed that “In order to minimise the number of students arriving in Ireland, and to protect public health, the Department of Justice reviewed the eligibility criteria for the third level graduate permission scheme (1G)”.
Third Level Graduate Programme allows non-European students graduating with a degree from a recognised Irish institute to remain in Ireland to look for graduate-level employment for a period of up to 2 years depending on their level of education attained. They can then apply for a Green Card which is a work permit after 24 months. Until now, students had to apply for the programme while they were studying in-person in the universities in Ireland.
But now as per new rules, international students who are studying online and/or remotely in their second semester of an Irish higher education programme will remain eligible for the Third Level Graduate Programme (1G). This will be applicable only for a short time as this is brought into force due to Covid Pandemic.
The international students need to meet all the existing and new criteria in order to remain eligible for the Third Level Graduate Programme scheme. Students can apply for the Third Level Graduate Programme if one of the following applies:
They can submit their applications, along with scanned copies of required documentation, electronically to the Registration Office, Burgh Quay, Dublin. They will be required to register in Ireland when they can return to the country. To be eligible, international students need the following documents from their higher education institution in Ireland:
Ireland’s is a key competitive advantage for Irish higher education institutions. This Program attracts many international students. During the years in which the UK tightened its visa and post-study work rights rules for non-EU/EEA students, this Irish program has been the main attraction to those students. The number of new students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) pursuing higher education in Ireland jumped by 45% between 2013 and 2017.
A group of international students in Ireland has launched an online petition to ask for further concessions considering the losses due to COVID. They are asking the Irish government to extend the visas of all graduate students for one more year to increase the chances of students being able to obtain employment in Ireland. So, the Department of Justice may extend the visas of thousands of international students who graduated from Irish universities during the pandemic but have failed to secure work in their field of study in Ireland.
Ireland has a long-standing reputation for being welcoming to students from across the world. This news of the extension of Post study work visa rules will give the right to international students across Ireland to enjoy excellent internship and career opportunities in the country.
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Categories: Ireland
Tags: Study Abroad