Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 February 2026
861. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the current policy position of the Government in relation to the processing and approval of short term study visas for junior English language students under 18 years of age from countries (details supplied), who wish to attend short duration English language programmes in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10379/26]
View answer862. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether there have been any changes in the past three years to visa processing procedures, approval criteria, documentation requirements or indicative processing timelines for short term study visa applications from junior English language students under 18 years of age from a countries (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10380/26]
View answer863. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether applications for short term study visas for accredited English language programmes of between two and four weeks duration are currently being accepted and processed through VFS centres in countries (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10381/26]
View answer864. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide the number of short term study visa applications under 90 days received, approved and refused in each of the past three years from applicants resident in countries (details supplied), by year and country, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10382/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 861, 862, 863 and 864 together.
I can advise the Deputy that any visa required national that wishes to do a short-term study course, of less than 90 days, to learn English in Ireland must have a Short Stay visa (also called a Type C Visa) before travelling to the State.
Applicants will find further details at: www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-study-in-ireland/
I can confirm that there has been no recent change to visa processing procedures, approval criteria or documentation requirements in any of my Department's Visa Offices. It should be noted that each application, regardless of nationality, is decided on its own merit. All visa applicants are advised that the responsibility is on them to provide as much information in support of their applications as they feel is necessary. Guidelines in this regard are posted on our website.
My Department is committed to the highest standards in child safeguarding. The parent or guardian of any minor intending to travel to the State should familiarise themselves with the advice contained at the following link:
www.irishimmigration.ie/at-the-border/travelling-with-children/#unaccompanied-minors
I can assure the Deputy that while processing times can vary across the different Visa Offices and Irish Embassies, the majority of visas are processed within stated target times. However, some applications can take considerably longer. Processing times for all applications are influenced by a number of factors. The time it can take varies depending on the type and complexity of application; individual circumstances; peak application periods; such as holidays or the start of the school year; and, crucially, the quality and completeness of the application lodged. Verifying an application is an important part of our immigration system and the checks involved can take time to complete.
Processing times and decisions at the Dublin Visa Office and the Overseas Visa Offices can be checked at the following link: www.irishimmigration.ie/visa-decisions/.
In 2025, approximately 206,000 visa applications, of all types, were received by the Visa Division of my Department. This reflects an increase of 2% compared to 2024, with over 3,900 additional applications received. This follows a 21% increase in applications in 2024 compared to 2023. My officials are working to meet the increased level of demand, and over 8,700 additional visa decisions have issued in 2025, compared to 2024.
I can confirm that all applications from Russian and Chinese nationals continue to be accepted and processed. The use of VFS Global’s services provides greater accessibility to applicants across a wider geographical area, particularly in large countries or countries where Ireland does not have consular representation. The use of VFS Global’s centres reduces courier and travel costs for applicants whose nearest Irish Visa Office or Embassy could be located thousands of kilometres away.
These services do not extend to making decisions on visa applications; such decisions are the sole remit of officials from my Department or the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Table 1 below details the Type C Short Stay Study visa applications from Russian and Chinese nationals.
Table 1. Type C Short Stay Study Visa Applications – Russian and Chinese nationals
|
Year |
Russian Federation Received |
Russian Federation Approved |
Russian Federation Refused |
People’s Republic of China Received |
People’s Republic of China Approved |
People’s Republic of China Refused |
|
2025 |
197 |
171 |
24 |
78 |
64 |
4 |
|
2024 |
421 |
412 |
8 |
214 |
204 |
1 |
|
2023 |
285 |
268 |
12 |
189 |
180 |
3 |
* Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.
* A decision made in a particular year may relate to an application received in a previous year.
* All approvals and refusals are at first instance.
* In some instances an applicant may apply for and be issued with a visit tourist visa when they were coming for short stay study. These figures cannot be extracted from the overall visit visas and are not included in the above table.
