Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 May 2026
1322. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science with regard to English language schools, the enforcement powers the ILEP has with regard to ongoing cases where refunds have not been paid to students whose visa applications have been refused; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36749/26]
View answer1323. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science with regard to English language schools, the number of breaches that have been identified with regard to ongoing cases where refunds have not been paid to students whose visa applications have been refused; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36750/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1322 and 1323 together.
English language providers can only recruit non-EEA students if their courses are on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP), which is administered by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. To qualify, providers must have clear refund policies for visa refusals and a student complaints procedure.
Providers must hold advance fees in a separate client visa account regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland until a visa decision is made. If refused, fees (minus any stated charge) must be refunded within 20 working days. These requirements do not apply where payments are made through third-party agents, many of which operate outside of the State.
The Department of Justice will investigate where there is evidence that a provider is not complying with its published policies. Complaints are first handled through the providers own grievance and complaints procedures; if these are exhausted, complaints can be escalated to the ILEP Unit.
Providers are subject to unannounced inspections, online monitoring, and spot checks to ensure compliance with ILEP criteria and failure to comply may result in removal from the ILEP. The request for the number of breaches should be directed to the ILEP Unit.
Following recent complaints about delayed refunds, the Department of Justice has written to all ILEP providers to remind them of their obligations.
A new international education quality mark, TrustEd Ireland, is being introduced by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), an agency under the remit of my Department.
The TrustEd Ireland mark will be awarded to higher education and English language education providers who have demonstrated that they meet new national standards to ensure a quality experience for international learners.
The new TrustEd Ireland scheme establishes, for the first time, a formal statutory quality assurance process for the English language education sector in Ireland.
To obtain the mark, providers must undergo due diligence assessing their capacity and capability to deliver quality-assured programmes, participate in the statutory Learner Protection Fund, and comply with an associated Code of Practice including key criteria on information provision, student welfare, and academic support. English language providers are required to undergo a site inspection as part of their assessment of Code compliance.
All English language providers holding the mark are subject to a statutorily required formal review at least once every three years. Providers must also submit a monitoring report every 18 months. QQI may withdraw a provider’s authorisation to use the mark where it considers that the provider no longer complies with the Code.
An announcement of the first group of 28 higher education institutions to be awarded the TrustEd Ireland statutory quality mark was made on 4th February 2026. Assessment is ongoing of the first window of TrustEd applications from English language providers, which is expected to be completed in the coming months.
The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration will continue to monitor learner compliance with immigration law. Monitoring activities can include inspections of providers at any time, including monitoring attendance requirements.
