Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

267. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the options available to a student to further their education (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17726/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP) was introduced as part of a series of reforms to the student immigration system for international education in line with the Government decision of 19 May 2015. These reforms have been designed to:

- tackle abuse of the immigration regime,

- tackle abuse of the labour market,

- improve the overall quality of offering to international students,

- improve protection for learners,

- safeguard the strong international reputation of high-quality Irish education providers in line with the goals of Ireland’s international education strategy.

As part of these reforms, further education programmes are no longer eligible for student immigration purposes. All Higher Education Institutions and English language education providers who wish to recruit non-EEA students must meet with relevant criteria and be listed on the ILEP in order to do so. The ILEP details the education programmes considered to justify the granting of permission to non-EEA students to live and work in Ireland.

The ILEP was introduced in January 2016 and is administered by the Department of Justice in association with my Department. Further information on the ILEP including the Government decision leading to its establishment are available online here: .