Version: October 2023

Applying for a visa to study in

Ireland
Information note for persons resident in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri
Lanka and the Maldives, who are applying for a visa to study in Ireland

1 How to apply 2 When to apply 5 Financial requirements

The New Delhi Visa Office (NDVO), You can submit your visa application A student must show that they will
part of the Embassy of Ireland in four months in advance of your have the required finances to support
India, is responsible for processing course start date. themselves for the full duration of the
visa applications from students course, and without dependence on
The latest we will accept an
resident in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, casual employment in Ireland.
application is three weeks prior to
Sri Lanka or the Maldives, who have
your course start date. Applications Importantly, if you are undertaking
an offer to study an eligible course in
received less than three weeks prior a multi-year course, at time of visa
Ireland.1
to the course start date can be application, you show immediate
The visa application process is as returned unprocessed. access to course fees and cost of
follows: living expenses for year one, plus
We recommend you apply as soon
ready access10 to the required
 Create your application online via as you have your offer and your
amounts, in both categories, for
AVATS,2 then print and sign the supporting documents. The onus
all subsequent years.
completed application form; is on each applicant to ensure they
apply in good time. 5.1 Course fees
 Arrange your appointment with
Visa Facilitation Service (VFS)3, if Please note, as per our website, it Your course offer letter will provide
applicable, and pay the visa fees; may take a number of days for your information on the level of first year
application to transit from a VFS to fees that you are required to pay and
 Compile your supporting when payment is required.
the NDVO.7
documentation;4
3 Additional VFS services Unless your provider requires full fee
 Submit your documents to VFS payment, prior to visa application,
or the Embassy of Ireland; To strengthen your application and you must show the following:
improve your VFS experience, you
 Wait on your visa outcome. can avail of additional VFS  If course fees are €6,000 or
Currently, VFS submission is only Services.8 less, you must pay them in full
available if you are resident in India before visa application; or
Residents of India can avail of their
or Nepal. Otherwise, please read the
Check and Verify service, while  If course fees are more than
How to apply section of our website residents of Nepal can avail of their €6,000, you must pay at least this
for information on document In-depth Verification service. amount before visa application.
submission and fee payment.5
4 English language 5.2 Cost of living expenses
A comprehensive overview of Irish
requirements You are required to show that you
student visa policy, and required
have sufficient finances to reside in
documents, is available on the Irish The submission of an approved
Ireland as a student, for the duration
immigration website.6 English language test9 is compulsory
of your course, without depending on
for all student visas.
casual employment. This is known
Failure to submit a test will result in as your cost of living (COL)
visa refusal. expenses.

1
https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to- options/how-to-apply-for-long-term-study- 8
https://visa.vfsglobal.com/ind/en/irl/additional-
study-in-ireland/what-are-my-study-options/a- visa/#guide. services.
5
third-level-course-or-a-language-course/. See footnote 3. 9
https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-
2 6
https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to- study-in-ireland/english-language-requirements-
https://www.visas.inis.gov.ie/AVATS/OnlineHo study-in-ireland/what-are-my-study-visa- for-study-visas/.
me.aspx. options/how-to-apply-for-long-term-study-visa/. 10
Ready access means that the finances will be
3 7
https://www.dfa.ie/irish- https://www.dfa.ie/irish- available when required in future. This can be
embassy/india/visas/applying-for-irish-visa/. embassy/india/visas/processing-times- evidenced by loans, savings and projected
4
https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to- decisions-appeals/. income from sponsors.
study-in-ireland/what-are-my-study-visa-

New Delhi Visa Office, Embassy of Ireland Dedicated student contact mailbox:
C-17, Malcha Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, 110021, India [email protected]
 The COL threshold is stated on the loan. The sanction letter on its own is Applicants should focus
Irish immigration homepage.11 not sufficient. on submitting a quality first time
application, as there is no guarantee
The threshold can be met by Where property is guaranteeing a
that an appeal will be processed in
personal or sponsored finances, loan, the deeds of that property must
time for your course start date.
using accepted financial evidence be submitted. Where the source of
outlined under section 6. funds is the sale of an asset (e.g., If, at date of decision, your course
house or land) evidence of the sale has started and no extension is
5.3 Financial sponsorship
must be submitted. provided, your application will be
Anyone offering financial support to refused.
your studies in Ireland is considered The guarantor of a loan is a sponsor
a sponsor and must consent to the and therefore must be declared in 10 Post-study pathways
sponsorship via your Financial the Financial Summary Form.
The Third Level Graduate Scheme,
Summary Form (see section 7), or The principle amount loaned to the permits graduates to work in Ireland,
via a separate signed declaration. applicant must be consistent with the for up to two years, without the need
6 Financial evidence availability to repay, based on of an employment permit.19
existing income levels and terms of
Personal and sponsored finances the loan. Potential income increases
11 Frequently asked questions
can be evidenced in many ways, cannot be considered for the Further queries may be answered by
such as bank accounts, fixed-deposit availability to repay the loan. the FAQ on the Irish Immigration
accounts, loans, bonds, provident website.20
funds etc. 6.2 Education bonds
Education bonds, such as 12 Checklist before you submit
We do not accept market-linked
EduBond,14 are accepted as long as
funds – such as crypto, stocks, 1 Signed AVATS application form ☐
the source of funds used to pay for
shares or mutual-funds – nor do we All passports (missing passport must
them is accounted for.15 ☐
accept gold valuations or chit-funds. 2
be fully explained)
If you wish to have gold valuations 7 Financial summary form (FSF)
considered, the gold must be Letter of application/statement of
The FSF16 seeks to provide clarity to purpose, outlining the reasons for
liquidated into a bank account12 or 3 ☐
the visa office in relation to required selecting Ireland, your provider and
converted to a gold loan.
finances and assistance to the your course.
We recommend that you simplify applicant in structuring their financial 4 Course offer letter from your provider. ☐
your finances as much as possible. evidence.
Having your financial evidence Evidence of course fee payment,
spread across multiple sponsors and 8 Processing times 5 including electronic fund transfers ☐

multiple holdings increases the risk Processing times are listed on the (section 5.1).
of refusal, due to unclear financial NDVO website.17 All previous qualifications, including
6 ☐
evidence. Consolidate your finances certificates and semester mark sheets.
where possible.13 In addition, every Tuesday evening
and Friday morning a report detailing English language test results (section ☐
7
Remember, applicants must all visa decisions made during the 4).
submit six months of their own reference period is posted online. Evidence of required finances
8 ☐
bank statement plus six months of (sections 5 and 6).
any declared sponsor. Verifiable 9 The appeals process
income tax return (ITRs) 9 Financial summary form (section 7). ☐
Where an application is refused and
acknowledgments should be the rights of appeal granted, the 10 Private medical insurance.21 ☐
submitted for all appropriate parties. appeal must be submitted within two
11 Police clearance certificates.22 ☐
months of the initial refusal date.
6.1 Student loans
If applicable, a letter disclosing all
If you are availing of a student loan Please note that, due to incoming 12 previous visa refusals with the original ☐
then you must submit original application volumes, student appeals refusal letters.23
documentation in relation to that can take longer to assess than the
initial application.18

11
https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to- school/information-on-student- 20
https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-
study-in-ireland/what-are-my-study-options/a- finances/#alternative. study-in-ireland/frequently-asked-questions-for-
16
fee-paying-private-primary-or-secondary- https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to- students/
school/information-on-student-finances/. study-in-ireland/what-are-my-study-visa- 21
https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-
12
Large deposits in bank accounts must be fully options/how-to-apply-for-long-term-study- study-in-ireland/what-are-my-study-options/a-
declared and explained in your financial visa/#guide fee-paying-private-primary-or-secondary-
17
summary form. https://www.dfa.ie/irish- school/private-medical-insurance/.
13
Ibid. embassy/india/visas/processing-times- 22
For all countries in which you held residence
decisions-appeals/. permission in the five years prior to the date of
14
https://educationbondireland.com. 18
15
Ibid. your visa application.
https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to- 19 23
study-in-ireland/what-are-my-study-options/a- https://www.irishimmigration.ie/my-situation- Failure to disclose will result in a refusal and
fee-paying-private-primary-or-secondary- has-changed-since-i-arrived-in-ireland/third- ban from future applications.
level-graduate-programme/.
…..