Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 February 2026
296. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of those on Stamp 2 permission registered in third level institutions in each of the past ten years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8966/26]
View answer305. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of Stamp 2 student permissions issued in each of the past ten years; and the number of those resident in the State in each of those years holding a Stamp 2 student permission, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8829/26]
View answer332. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of those on Stamp 2 visas who have worked as healthcare assistance in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9103/26]
View answer333. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of those on Stamp 2 visas who were employed in jobs listed in the ineligible list for employment permits in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9104/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 296, 305, 332 and 333 together.
The Programme for Government contains a commitment to publish a National Migration and Integration Strategy detailing how the Government intends to meet the demands and opportunities facing Ireland’s society and economy over the next decade. My Department is currently working with other Government Departments to develop this strategy with the aim to publish it in 2026.
As part of this strategic approach, I am reviewing the area of student permissions, including with regard to English Language students. This work is aimed at ensuring that the system remains robust and rules-based, supports high-quality education providers, and continues to offer a positive experience for genuine students coming to Ireland.
International students from outside the EU/EEA are granted a residence permission on Stamp 2 conditions where they have enrolled on, and commenced a course listed on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP), or eligible programmes offered by providers with authorisation to use the new TrustEd Education mark awarded by the Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).
My Department holds information regarding the number of people registered at each particular educational institution but this is not published as this could be considered commercially sensitive.
I understand the Deputy has agreed to limit the scope of his request to data from 2018 onwards and that reference to stamp 2 visas in this question relate to stamp 2 immigration permissions.
The table below lists the number of Stamp 2 student residence permissions issued by my Department from 2018 - 2025.
|
Year |
Total Stamp 2 Issued |
|
2018 |
44,464 |
|
2019 |
49,658 |
|
2020 |
30,980 |
|
2021 |
28,750 |
|
2022 |
52,896 |
|
2023 |
60,882 |
|
2024 |
60,901 |
|
2025** |
56,512 |
*Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.
**Statistics for 2025 are impacted by delays to registration due to current overall pressure on this function; the final figure for those required to register Stamp 2 permissions will exceed that set out in the table.
These figures reflect the people, or unique individuals, required to register or renew their immigration permission in a calendar year. Most renewals are annual, however, there may be students that were required to register/renew multiple times in the same calendar year, such as English Language students. Therefore, these numbers per year should not be summed to an overall total but rather reflect the number of unique individuals required to register or renew in that calendar year.
A person must show that they have sufficient funds to support their stay in Ireland without recourse to public funds, or the reliance on casual employment. Stamp 2 holders may, however, engage in casual employment for a maximum of 20 hours per week during school term and 40 hours per week during holidays.
It is not a requirement for International students to inform the Immigration Service of my Department of the nature of the casual employment they engage in under Stamp 2 conditions. Therefore, the breakdown requested by the Deputy is not available.
