Student Visas in Ireland
Studying there, and whether study leads to residency
Non-EEA students enrol on a programme from an official list of eligible courses, obtain a study visa where their nationality requires one, and register for a Stamp 2 permission that allows limited part-time work. Degree graduates can usually stay on under the Third Level Graduate Programme, receiving a Stamp 1G for a period intended to be spent finding skilled employment, after which the standard employment permit routes apply.
| Permission type | Stamp 2 for eligible full-time courses source |
| Work allowance | Commonly 20 hours a week in term, 40 in set holiday periods |
| Post-study route | Third Level Graduate Programme, Stamp 1G source |
| Private medical insurance | Required for the duration of the permission |
| Reckonable residence | Student time does not count toward naturalisation source |
What is required before travelling
- An offer and payment for a full-time course appearing on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes, which is the list immigration officers actually check.
- Evidence of funds for the year, commonly cited at around EUR 10,000 in addition to fees, plus evidence of access to similar funds for each subsequent year.
- Private medical insurance covering the whole permission, since students are not automatically entitled to the same public cover as residents.
- A study visa obtained abroad if the applicant holds a passport from a visa-required country.
- Evidence of English language ability at the level the institution requires, which is set by the college rather than by immigration.
Stamp 2 and its limits
A student registers after arrival and is issued a Stamp 2, which permits casual employment within a weekly cap during term and a higher cap during specified holiday periods. Working beyond that cap is a breach of the permission and has consequences for later applications.
There is a maximum overall period that can be spent in the state on a student permission, so repeatedly enrolling on new courses is not an indefinite strategy. Language and non-degree courses carry shorter limits than degree programmes.
A Stamp 2A exists for courses not on the eligible list; it carries no permission to work at all.
The graduate route
The Third Level Graduate Programme allows graduates of recognised Irish awards to remain and seek employment on a Stamp 1G. The period granted commonly depends on the level of the award, with a longer period for postgraduate awards than for a first degree, and a maximum overall duration.
Stamp 1G is a bridge, not a destination. It permits work without an employment permit, but it expires, and converting it into something durable normally means securing a job that qualifies for a Critical Skills or General Employment Permit before it does.
The residence counting trap
Time spent in Ireland on a student permission is not reckonable residence for naturalisation. Neither, in general, is time spent on Stamp 1G or on other permissions granted for a temporary purpose.
This surprises people who arrive as students, work for several years afterwards, and then discover the clock toward citizenship started later than they assumed. The years are not wasted, because they build the career that makes a work permit possible, but they should not be counted.
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Official sources
- Coming to study in Ireland
- Citizens Information — student visas and permission
- Third Level Graduate Programme
Checked against these pages in September 2026. Fees and processing times change without notice — confirm before you act.