Evidence of Finance Requirement

Notice Regarding Evidence of Finance for ALL Non-EEA Students from 1 April 2011.

There has always been a requirement for full time non-EEA students to demonstrate access to sufficient funds to support themselves during their period of study in Ireland. This is a welfare condition to ensure that a student can support themselves in the initial months of their stay in Ireland. This requirement to demonstrate adequate funding is in line with immigration rules in other jurisdictions and this condition applies to all non-EEA students irrespective of whether or not their nationality requires a visa for the purposes of entering the State.

Currently, students from Visa required countries are required to demonstrate that they have access to €7,000 as part of their Visa application and in that regard it is reasonable to require such students to have access to some of that fund when they first arrive in Ireland.

However, Ireland does not require all non-EEA students to apply for a visa before coming to study long term in Ireland. As outlined in the Supplementary Paper on the Irish Student Visa System, which was published as a companion document to the 'New Immigration Regime for Full Time Non-EEA Students on 22 September 2010, the €1,000 requirement for non-visa required nationals at first registration was considered anomalous as there was a significant gap between what was required of a Visa student and a non-Visa student. It was therefore proposed to address this issue in the implementation arrangements for the new student immigration regime.

In that regard €3,000 was considered a fair amount to require all long term non-EEA students to have at their first registration. This requirement was set out in the guidance notes published on the INIS website during December 2010. It should also be noted that during 2010 the general requirement for students to produce bank statements at their second and subsequent registrations was removed.

Having considered the matter the Immigration Service acknowledges that there is merit in adjusting the €3,000 requirement to facilitate students who come to Ireland to study for a period of six months or less. Therefore, students coming to Ireland for up to six months will be required to demonstrate access to a minimum of €500 per month of stay or €3,000, whichever is the lesser.

The table below fully outlines the new proof of funding requirements for all non-EEA Students from 1 April 2011.

 
NOTE: In general Non-EEA Students studying in Ireland for a period of less than 90 days are not required to register with the Immigration Authorities. However if directed to register such students will be required to demonstrate evidence of finance on the same basis as Non-EEA students studying for a period of less than 6 months.

Immigration and Citizenship Policy

More information can be found by contacting the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service.