Stamp 2 student immigration permission
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | Stamp 2 student immigration permission as of 2026-04-16[1][4] |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | Stamp 2 student immigration permission as of 2026-04-16[1][4] |
| Legal basis | Not established from a qualifying source |
| Instrument type | residence permit as of 2026-04-16[1][4] Registered with the immigration authorities and evidenced by an Irish Residence Permit; visa-required nationals must additionally obtain a student visa before travelling. |
Who can apply
| Nationals not served by this route | EEA as of 2026-04-16[1] |
|---|
Permit terms
| Initial duration | Not established from a qualifying source Not stated as a single term for higher-education programmes; the permission tracks the course. Citizens Information states that the permission to attend a 25-week English-language course is for eight months, and that a new English-language student may be granted a maximum of three such courses, amounting to two years in total. |
|---|---|
| How the initial term is set | matches the course |
| Renewable | Yes as of 2026-04-16[1] Renewed online; the student must have less than 12 weeks left on the current permission before using the online renewal system, and the IRP card is posted out. Students must prove they are progressing in the course, for example by passing exams. |
| Maximum total duration | 7 years as of 2026-04-16[1][4] "The maximum time they can study in Ireland at this level is 7 years" at NFQ Level 6 or above, aggregating time on Stamp 2 and on Stamp 1G under the Third Level Graduate Programme; ISD's FAQ states the same seven-year total. Exceptions exist for PhD students, for courses such as medicine, and for special circumstances such as illness. The limit rises to eight years where a graduate re-enters the Third Level Graduate Programme at Level 9 or above. |
| Work rights | hours capped as of 2026-04-16[1][4] Casual employment up to 20 hours a week during term time and up to 40 hours a week during the standardised holiday periods — June to September inclusive and 15 December to 15 January. Stamp 2A holders are not allowed to work. |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | Not established from a qualifying source |
|---|---|
| How this time counts toward citizenship | 0 as of 2026-08-11[2] |
Requirements
| Enrolment status required | enrolled as of 2026-04-16[1][4] "Non-EEA nationals coming to study in Ireland must be enrolled in an eligible full-time course", at NFQ Level 6 or above for a higher education programme, listed on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP). Part-time and distance-learning courses do not qualify. Students must also have a certain standard of English. Further education programmes and overseas-accredited vocational programmes are no longer eligible and the Internationalisation Register has ceased to exist. |
|---|---|
| Means requirement | EUR 10,000 per year as of 2026-04-16[1] |
| Work-hours cap | 20 as of 2026-04-16[1][4] Hours per week during term time; up to 40 hours a week during the standardised holiday periods (June to September inclusive and 15 December to 15 January). Stamp 2A holders may not work at all. |
| Post-study route exists | Yes as of 2026-04-16[1][5] The Third Level Graduate Programme, recorded as its own work-family route (ie-third-level-graduate-programme) because it is a standalone job-search permission rather than an extension of the study permission. |
| Post-study permit duration | 12 months as of 2026-04-16[1][5] Twelve months for a Level 8 graduate; 24 months (two 12-month blocks) for a graduate at Level 9 or above, in both cases inside the seven- or eight-year aggregate limit on student permission. |
Process
| Where to apply from | either as of 2026-04-16[1] Visa-required students must apply for a student visa before travelling; all non-EEA students, including non-visa-required students, must register with the immigration office to get permission to remain for more than 90 days, which happens after arrival. Renewals are made online and require less than 12 weeks remaining on the current permission. |
|---|---|
| Statutory processing time | Not established from a qualifying source No statutory decision period is stated. |
| Observed processing time | Not established from a qualifying source |
| Fees |
|
Physical presence
| none stated | to keep the permit as of 2026-04-16[1][4] No day count or maximum-absence rule is stated. The continuing conditions are full-time enrolment on an eligible programme, demonstrated progression, medical insurance, and sufficient means without recourse to State benefits. Students may not change course during the first year and afterwards only to a course at the same or a higher level, and never from full-time to part-time. This records the absence of a stated presence rule. |
|---|
Family inclusion
| Family members may be included | No as of 2026-04-16[1][4] ISD: "No, students are typically not permitted to bring family members with them. There are some very exceptional circumstances where this may be permitted." Citizens Information: non-EEA students generally have no right to bring family, with exceptions for PhD students and for ISD-approved scholarship programmes such as the King Abdullah Scholarship Programme; family members may still apply to enter in their own right, but not on the basis of the relationship to a student. ISD's financial-thresholds page lists students other than those in Category B among ineligible sponsors. |
|---|---|
| Eligible relations | Not applicable as of 2026-06-12[1][3] No relation is eligible on the basis of the relationship to a Stamp 2 student. PhD students and ISD-approved scholarship students are treated as Category B sponsors under the family reunification policy and are the exception; that is recorded on the ie-join-family-non-eea route rather than here. |
Your next step
Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.
The next step is your own case. That assessment is legal work. Create profile for our assistance in this.
Profile benefits
- A 30-minute call with our consultant, who reads your profile first.
- An offer for legal support built around your case, covering the whole process.
Verification
| Sources cited | 5 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 5 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2026-04-16 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-08-11 |
| Reviewed on | 2026-08-17 |
| Schema version | 1.1 |
Sources
- [1] Immigration rules for full-time non-EEA students
Citizens Information Board · official guidance · Tier 1 · Published 2026-04-16 · Accessed 2026-08-11 - [2] How to become an Irish citizen — guide to naturalisation (reckonable residence, fees, conditions)
Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration · official guidance · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-11 - [3] Financial Thresholds for Non-EEA Family Reunification
Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-12 · Accessed 2026-08-11 - [4] Frequently asked questions for students — work hours, registration fee, seven-year limit, family
Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2025-03-31 · Accessed 2026-08-11 - [5] Third level graduate programme — conditions, duration of permission, fee
Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2024-03-28 · Accessed 2026-08-11