Brian Brennan (Wicklow-Wexford, Fine Gael)
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583. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the circumstances in which a person residing in Ireland (details supplied) can remain living and working here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15745/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I can inform the Deputy that the Working Holiday Authorisation Programme (WHA) allows non-EEA nationals from certain countries to come to Ireland to experience living and working for a certain period of time, normally one year, without the requirement of a formal work permit.

Applications for the Programme are processed and approved by the Department of Foreign Affairs. My Department is solely responsible for the granting of a Stamp 1 immigration permission consistent with the terms and conditions set out in the WHA.

All persons who are undertaking a WHA are required to sign a declaration that they will leave upon its expiry. Therefore, a person to whom this permission is issued must leave the State on or before the expiry of their current WHA, and may not apply for a change of immigration permission.

Should an individual who has left the State upon the expiry of their WHA and who wishes to re-enter the State under a working permission through the employment permits system, to continue their studies, or for other immigration reasons, will need to have made the necessary arrangements before attempting to re-enter the State.

Further information on the legal pathways for migration to the State is available on my Departments Immigration Service website at

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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584. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when a stamp 4 visa renewal will issue for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15752/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The application from the person referred to by the Deputy was approved 27 March 2025. They can expect to receive their new Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card in the next 10-15 working days.

The person concerned can now directly check the status of their immigration application on the Immigration Service’s new Digital Contact Centre (DCC). They can register for, or log in to their existing account, at:

As an Oireachtas member, you can also request the status of individual immigration cases by e-mail, using the Oireachtas Mail facility at: IMoireachtasmail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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585. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the rationale for increasing the fees required for student visas from €4,680 to €6,665; if he will provide a detailed account of the publicity from his Department to make relevant persons and the public aware of this upcoming change; his plans to make the public aware of the change before it comes into effect; if his Department has engaged with English language institutions in respect of the change; if his Department has carried out an impact assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15831/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I understand that the Deputy's question relates to the requirement for proof of finance available to a Non-EEA national student seeking residence in the State to study.

One of the key conditions applicable to a student coming to Ireland is that they must be able to support themselves without claiming state benefits. As such, proof of available finances is a requirement for all relevant non-EEA national students, both visa and non-visa required.

Following a review by my Department in 2022, it was concluded that the level of funds required should be increased to more accurately reflect the average annual living expenses for students in Ireland. This was agreed in consultation with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS), and in consultation with relevant stakeholders.

With effect from 1 July 2023, the financial requirements for students from visa required countries increased from €7,000 to €10,000 and, for students from non-visa required countries, from €3,000 to €4,500. It was also agreed that the difference in funds required for students based on visa requirements would be gradually removed.

To this end, the level of funds required for non-visa required students was further increased in 2024, from €4,500 to €7,000. Relative adjustments were also made to the monthly requirements for non-visa required students on shorter courses, with the maximum duration increased from 6 months to 8 months to allow more courses to benefit from this derogation.

A further increase is scheduled to take effect on 30 June 2025, with a notification of this published on my Department's Immigration service website on 24 March 2025: Information on Student Finances - Immigration Service Delivery.

This increase will bring the level of funds required for non-visa required students from €7,000 to €10,000, in line with the level for visa required students. For non-visa required students on shorter courses of 8 months in duration, this will bring the level of funds required from €4,680 to €6,665. For visa required students on courses of 6 months in duration, this will bring the level of funds required from €4,200 to €4,998, and they may also avail of the derogation for courses of up to 8 months, with proof of €6,665 in available funds.

DFHERIS has notified the representative bodies for Ireland’s higher education institutions, as well as English language schools, of this change.