The Irish government has announced increases in the minimum funds requirements for foreign students. . International students who are not required to have a visa (mostly students from the EU) will need to prove the same level of financial savings as those who require a visa (mostly students from non-EU countries).
 
The announcement was sudden. The government provided just over 90 days’ notice, which means that students with visa-free-status who are close to beginning studies in Ireland – e.g., they have paid required tuition fees, booked flights, etc. – will now need to access €2,000–3,000 more than what they were told to have when they applied for their course.
 
For all international students applying to courses of more than eight months, the minimum level of financial support will be €10,000 for the first year, and proof of that amount plus course fees for every subsequent year.
 
For courses of less than eight months, the requirement is €833 per month or €6,665 (in total), which represents a 120% increase over the 2023 threshold, and which is up from the €4,680 required currently. Those shorter courses are often delivered by the English-language sector, which has signalled its alarm over the financial requirement increase.

Call for a review

English Education Ireland, the national body representing over 60 accredited English-language schools, is calling for . Lorcan O’Connor Lloyd, the association's CEO, says:

“This change has come without consultation, justification, or notice. It is difficult to see how a 120% increase in two years [for courses of less than eight months] can be considered proportionate when the cost of living has risen just 2% annually. The affected students are legally permitted to work part-time while in Ireland, yet are now being required to show financial backing as if they were not. This policy undermines the very structure of Ireland’s work-study visa system.”

On behalf of its members, English Education Ireland is calling for:

• An immediate pause and review of the policy
• A transition period to protect students already booked
• Full consultation with the education sector moving forward

The association states: “If unchallenged, the policy will lead to mass cancellations, reputational damage to Ireland, and loss of key emerging markets that have helped rebuild the sector post-pandemic.”

The growing popularity of Ireland

In the past five years, international students have become increasingly drawn to Ireland for reasons including Brexit (which, among other things, ushered in full international fees for EU students in the UK), stiffer immigration regimes in Australia and Canada, and a volatile political climate in the most expensive destination, the US.
 
In 2023/24, the number of international students in Irish higher education exceeded 40,000 for the first time and was 15% higher than in 2022/23. Supercharged growth has come from Mexico (61%) in particular, a country whose students have visa-free status in Ireland. Mexico is a price-sensitive market, so the more significant financial requirement for visa-free students beginning on 30 June may influence demand.

In addition, Latin American countries are some of the most important growth markets for Ireland’s English-language learning sector. In 2023, the top markets in the non-EU/EEA segment where visa is not required were:

• Brazil (53% of all students in this segment)
• Mexico
• Japan
• Chile
• Argentina

For additional background, please see:

• “Irish higher education booked another strong year of foreign enrolment growth in 2024”
• “Irish ELT sector continues to exceed pre-pandemic levels of business”