Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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103. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if a student applying for a study visa for Ireland must prove that they have €7,000 in their own bank account or simply access to €7,000 through a sponsor's bank account; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6376/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that all non-EEA students seeking to pursue a full time course of studies in Ireland are required to show that they can support their stay in Ireland without recourse to public funds.

An applicant must show evidence of having immediate access to at least €7,000 to meet living costs. Circumstances where a sponsor, such as a family member, show that they have the required money and will make it available to the student can be taken into consideration when assessing this aspect of the application. The student must also show, in each subsequent year, that the student and/or sponsor(s) have ready access to at least €7,000 in addition to course fees for each of those years.

The INIS website contains comprehensive guidelines to assist the applicant with the application process. The documentation needed for each application type can be found by choosing the appropriate visa option on the web page: . It should be noted however that the information contained on the website is for guidance purposes only, and does not limit the discretion of the Visa Officer in dealing with individual applications. Therefore, all information that an applicant wishes to have taken into consideration should be included when an application is submitted.

The Deputy may wish to note that queries may be made directly to INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.

In addition, members of the public may themselves e-mail queries directly to INIS (visamail@justice.ie).