Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 March 2026
659. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to introduce a bridging right to work for international graduates (details supplied) on Stamp 1G who have submitted valid, in-time extension applications, similar to maintained status in Canada, Section 3C leave in the United Kingdom, Bridging Visa A in Australia, and interim visa arrangements in New Zealand. [16514/26]
View answerThe Third Level Graduate Programme was developed for international students to seek graduate level employment and to apply for an employment permit through the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE). The purpose of the programme is to ensure that such students are making genuine efforts to access suitable graduate level employment.
When a graduate has completed their studies in Ireland and gained an award at Level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), they may qualify for a Stamp 1G under the Third Level Graduate Programme for 12 months. Where an individual receives an award at Level 9 NFQ or above, they may qualify for a further extension of 12 months, subject to the overall limit of eight years on student conditions that applies.
This period on the Stamp 1G immigration permission is to provide the graduate and any prospective employer an opportunity to make an application for an employment permit to the DETE. If that application is successful, the graduate can register on a Stamp 1 immigration permission.
The cohort cited by the Deputy relates to people who are seeking a temporary extension of their immigration permission when they have exhausted the maximum time permitted under the Third Level Graduate Programme. Such an application is categorised as an application for an Extension of Student Conditions (ESTC). Almost 9,000 people applied for an ESTC in the last two years, with over 4,000 of those requesting access to employment without an employment permit.
This route is intended for genuinely exceptional circumstances such as where students experience severe illness or accidents in the State, or where they could not return home during the Covid-19 pandemic and needed to work to support themselves. It is not intended for students or graduates who fail to secure an employment permit.
A temporary permission to work is not available whilst an ESTC application is being examined, nor are there any plans to introduce such a permission as suggested by the Deputy.
An application for an employment permit is the established route for individuals who wish to work beyond the expiry of their stamp 1G permission. It is the responsibility of the student or graduate to allow sufficient time to apply for an employment permit before their existing immigration permission expires.
