Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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467. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason a college (details supplied) in Dublin 1 has been struck off the Internationalisation Register list; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20367/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I am informed by my officials in the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) that the college referred to by the Deputy has ceased operations and, in consequence, INIS has instructed that the college be removed from the Internationalisation Register.

It should be noted that prior to its closure the college in question had been under investigation by the immigration authorities based on serious concerns regarding its operation. The Deputy will be aware the Government has approved the implementation of a series of reforms to the student immigration system for international education, in response to concerning practices within certain parts of the sector and a number of English language college closures. The reforms are designed to drive real, lasting change in the sector and will tackle abuse of the immigration regime and labour market, improve the overall quality of offering to international students, and improve protection for learners, whilst safeguarding the strong international reputation of high-quality Irish education providers in line with the goals of Ireland’s International Education Strategy. The new regulations and the schedule for implementation are set out in the Policy Statement “Reform of the International Education Sector and Student Immigration System”.