Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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626. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of overseas students who are on a stamp 2 visa currently in Ireland; if consideration has been given to making these visas more flexible to enable students to work for more than 20 hours per week outside the Christmas and June to September periods given that many of these students are struggling to pay rent and many of their employers are struggling to secure sufficient staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18295/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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There are currently 33,230 non-EEA students registered with an active Stamp 2 permission in the State.

My Department has responsibility for immigration-related matters, including the entry and residence conditions of non-EEA students, who are granted a Stamp 2 immigration permission, and continually consults and engages with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, among other key sectoral stakeholders, in this area.

A student's primary purpose for being in the State is to study. All applicants for permission to study in Ireland must show that they have sufficient funds to support their stay in Ireland without recourse to public funds, or the reliance on casual employment.

However, since April 2001, non-EEA students with an immigration Stamp 2 permission, and who are enrolled on courses with education providers listed on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP) including English language courses, have been afforded the opportunity to work.

This allows them to take up casual employment to supplement their income while studying in Ireland. During term time, non-EEA students can work up to 20 hours per week and during normal college holiday periods they can work on a full time basis up to 40 hours per week.

The conditions attaching to all immigration permissions are kept under ongoing review by my Department with all relevant stakeholders. Any changes to the work entitlements of non-EEA students would be a policy decision for the wider stakeholder group.