Study in Ireland

Ireland Study Visa Info

Please visit www.vfsglobalirelandvisa.com, pay the fees and book an appointment for submitting the study visa application, documents and biometric information at the nearest VFS Visa Application Centre (VAC).

What visa: Students should opt for Study Multiple-entry Long-stay (D) visa, which allows up to 90 days stay in Ireland. After coming to Ireland, all non-EU students must register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) to obtain the Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card, which allows long term permission to reside in Ireland.

Please see a list of documents for Ireland student visa below:

1. Signed and dated AVATS Summary Sheet in colour, VFS appointment and fee payment receipt. You must clearly write on top of the AVATS Summary Sheet which University or College you will be attending (e.g. If you are attending Trinity College Dublin you would write TCD).

2. Two recent (not older than six months) photographs 35×45 in colour, a biometric type with white background. Your name and visa application reference number must be written at the back of the photographs using a ballpoint pen. Please see photo specifications at https://visafoto.com/ie_passport_photo.

3. Cover letter for visa application.

4. Copy (Colour) of completed Financial Summary Form (FSF).

5. Statement of Purpose (SOP).

6. Full offer letter from the college.

7. All receipts of the fees paid to the college, including the Electronic Fund Transfer Receipt (EFTR).

8. Passport (Valid for at least twelve months after your proposed date of arrival in Ireland, with sufficient space for the insertion of the visa sticker).

9. Previous passports (If any).

10. Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) no older than six months from the date of the submission of your visa application. Could apply online for PCC at www.passportindia.gov.in. For those who have lived abroad, a PCC from the local police authority for each country where you have lived must be submitted with your application.

11. Degree certificates and mark sheets.

12. Class 10 and class 12 mark sheets.

13. Updated Resume.

14. Experience certificates (If applicable).

15. Employment letter, Last three months salary slips, and ITR Acknowledgement/Form 16 for the last three years (If applicable).

16. IELTS/Duolingo/TOEFL/PTE certificate (Not more than two years old at the time of visa application).

17. Ireland medical insurance policy (If not included in college fee).

18. Previous visa refusal letters (If applicable).

19. Loan sanction letter and Loan account statement (If applicable).

20. Scholarship letters (If applicable).

21. Six months statements of all relevant bank accounts.

Documents required for each sponsor:

1. Employment letter/Salary certificate (If in employment).

2. Last three months salary slips (If in employment).

3. Incorporation certificate and audited accounts for the last three years (If in business).

4. ITR Acknowledgement or Form 16 for the last three years (If applicable).

5. If non-declared income such as income from agriculture, pension etc. an Income Certificate from Tahsildar or a Net Worth Certificate from Chartered Accountant to that effect.

6. Six months statements of all relevant bank accounts.

7. Proof of other current financial assets such as Fixed Deposits, Provident Funds, Mutual Funds, Insurance etc. Original FD receipts should not be submitted – A photocopy with bank seal and sign along with a letter from the bank on letterhead should suffice.

8. Letter of sponsorship.

9. Proof of sponsor’s relationship with the student.

10. Proof of sponsor’s identity.

11. Proof of sponsor’s address.

12. Copy of passport, working visa & residency card (If the sponsor is an NRI).

Note:

1. All documents must be original documents in English or accompanied by a notarized translation. Please carry a photo copy of all documents including current and previous passports (All pages).

2. All bank statements must be on headed paper. Name, address, account number, account type etc. must be visible on the statement. Every page must have seal and sign of the bank.

3. Please highlight all relevant transactions in the bank statements of the student and the sponsor with a highlighter pen supplemented by appropriate side notes. This will help the Visa officer to understand the funding of your education with easy.

4. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list, and a Visa officer may require further documentation if they deem it necessary before they can make a decision on your visa application.

5. Apart from the full fee payable to the college for the entire course, the applicant has to show evidence that he/she or his/her sponsor has immediate access to funds for the living expenses in Ireland during the course of the study. Currently, this amount is in the range of €8,000 – €12000 per year of study.

6. The Visa Officer will only assess study visa applications where a student has paid at least €6000 towards their fee if it is under €12000. If the tuition fee is more than €12000, the student must pay at least half of the total fee amount else the visa application will get refused. However, the college you wish to attend may require full payment of fees. If so, the student has to pay the tuition fee in full before applying for a study visa.

7. Students paying deposit or fee should ensure that the money is going from their bank account or their sponsor’s bank account.

8. Students or their sponsors may need PAN card to make the fee payment. For PAN card, please visit www.utiitsl.com.

9. If you are not a national of the country where you are applying from, you must submit evidence of your permission to be in that country, e.g. Residence card. You must also have at least 3 months permission to be in that country after your intended date of departure to Ireland.

10. Original documents such as passports, mark sheets, transcripts, degree certificates, marriage certificate, birth certificate etc., would be returned to you. However, other documents such as bank statements, visa cover letter, sponsorship letter etc., may not be returned. If there are any particular documents that you wish to have returned, please provide a list of these documents with the visa application.

11. If you submit any false or misleading information or false supporting documentation as part of your visa application, it may result in the refusal of your application without the right of appeal. It may also result in you being prevented from making further Irish visa applications for a period of 5 years.

12. Student visa applications received in the Visa office less than three weeks prior to the course start date will be returned unprocessed. Please note that it could take two to three working days for VFS to deliver the application to the Visa office in New Delhi. The onus is on each applicant to ensure this timeframe is met.

13. It would take 4 to 6 weeks to process Ireland study visa. Applicants should not book flights until they have received and validated their visas. Please ensure the date of travel falls within the visa validity dates.

14. You are subject to immigration controls at the port of entry of Dublin Airport. The Immigration Officer on duty determines whether each non-EU student is allowed to enter Ireland. If your documentation is in order, he/she will stamp your passport for up to three months (90 days). All non-EU students must register with the Irish Immigration Service Delivery within the time limit stamped on the passport.

15. At the immigration desk you should be prepared to present documents such valid passport with a valid visa sticker, offer letter from college, proof of tuition fees paid, address of where you will be staying, and medical insurance policy document.

16. For Irish Immigration Service Delivery registeration and getting Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card you would need all the above documents plus letter of registration from college and registration fee.

17. Please make sure that you reach Ireland before your course start date. If there is a delay, please inform your college and get permission for late joining.

18. Study visa application could be made up to four months in advance. To facilitate workers who need to provide three months’ notice, the visa office would allow them to apply, with a copy of their contract, up to five months in advance.

19. There is no walk-in allowed at the VFS Visa Application Centers across India. An appointment is a must.

20. Once a Visa Decision is made, the Ireland Embassy in New Delhi will return your documents to VFS, and VFS will courier the same to you. You are supposed to opt for a courier service to receive your processed documents. You are not allowed to visit the VFS Center to collect them.

21. Student visa applicants need to avail of the VFS Check and Verify Service when submitting the application to VFS. This service allows for professionally trained VFS staff to perform a series of pre-checks and initial validation on certain key supporting documents. This makes the assessment easier by INIS Visa Decision Makers on an application.

22. The Ireland Embassy in New Delhi will publish Visa decisions every Tuesday and Friday on their website https://www.dfa.ie/irish-embassy/india/.