Written answers
Tuesday, 20 May 2025
Department of Justice and Equality
Student Visas
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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688. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of student visas issued in 2025 and in each of the past five years, by country of origin, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25791/25]
Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I understand that the Deputy is referring to Irish immigration residence permissions issued to students pursuing educational courses in the State.
When a non-EEA national comes to Ireland to undertake a course of study and satisfies the relevant criteria, they will be granted a Stamp 2 student immigration permission.
I can advise the Deputy that the 2025 figure, broken down by nationality, is not yet available.
The table below provides the number of student permissions from the 14 nationalities with the highest number of registrations from 2021 to 2024.
Stamp 2 permissions issued by nationality and year
| - | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazilian | 7,143 | 16,235 | 18,058 | 15,317 |
| Indian | 5,334 | 6,924 | 8,927 | 12,214 |
| Chinese | 2,507 | 3,451 | 4,176 | 4,663 |
| American | 1,838 | 2,269 | 2,565 | 2,648 |
| Canadian | 1,290 | 1,382 | 1,434 | 1,690 |
| Mexican | 1,194 | 3,227 | 3,738 | 3,607 |
| Malaysian | 990 | 1,313 | 1,342 | 1,392 |
| Turkish | 927 | 2,676 | 1,931 | 971 |
| Nigerian | 791 | 841 | 847 | 860 |
| Kuwaiti | 605 | 782 | 840 | 821 |
| Chilean | 475 | 2,495 | 2,445 | 2,123 |
| Pakistani | 376 | 519 | 783 | 1,072 |
| Bolivian | 321 | 1,205 | 1,968 | 918 |
| Mongolian | 197 | 1,195 | 1,884 | 2,227 |
| All others | 4,729 | 8,331 | 9,944 | 10,378 |
| Total | 28,717 | 52,845 | 60,882 | 60,901 |
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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689. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of student visas, by country of origin, which were cancelled in 2025 and in each of the last five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25792/25]
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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690. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of those in receipt of student visas who have stayed in the State after their visa expired, by country of origin, in 2025 and in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25793/25]
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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691. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the process by which the State monitors if students have left the jurisdiction once their student visa has expired; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25794/25]
Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 689 to 691, inclusive, together.
I understand that the Deputy is referring to Irish immigration residence permissions issued to students pursuing educational courses in the State.
The statistics sought are not collated in the manner as requested by the Deputy.
When a non-EEA national comes to Ireland to undertake a course of study, be that an English language course or a course at level 6 or above on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), a Stamp 2 student immigration permission will be granted. The primary purpose for a student to be in the State is to study, and it is not permissible for a student to come to Ireland to undertake a part-time course, or a distance learning course.
Where a non-EEA student has completed their studies in Ireland and gained an award at level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) or above, that person may qualify for a Stamp 1G for 12 months under the Third Level Graduate Programme. Where an individual receives an award at level 9 NFQ, they may qualify for a Stamp 1G for up to 24 months subject to the overall limit of 8 years on student conditions that applies.
Should a non-EEA national student choose not pursue the Third Level Graduate Programme and have completed their studies, they are expected to leave the State upon the expiry of their immigration permission. However, as there are no routine exit checks at Irish borders, it is not possible to accurately quantify this number.
If a person does not have permission to be in the State a notification of intention to deport may be issued under Section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999, as amended. Any person who has been ordered to leave the State and fails to do so is committing a criminal offence, and can be arrested without warrant if they come into contact with An Garda Síochána. Such an order remains on the person’s record permanently and means they cannot enter Ireland again in future.
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