International students with children - A guide to the regulations
Can I bring my child/children to Ireland while I study?
On July 29 2008, new rules in relation to children of students from outside the EU/EEA were published by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS).
First time students presenting for registration with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) will be asked to confirm that they are neither accompanied by children nor do they intend to have their children join them later on. If they are unable to meet this requirement they will not be registered unless the placement of the child in education has been expressly approved in writing by the Department of Education and Skills or the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
The GNIB has advised that student parents accompanied by their children (of whatever age) will be stopped at the port of entry in Ireland and refused permission to land, unless they have written permission from the Irish embassy in their home country to do so before departure for Ireland. This permission to land with their children would be given by the Embassy based on individual family circumstances. In some cases this would be based, for example, on evidence that the family have arranged for their children to receive education in a private, fee paying school in Ireland.
What if my child was already in school at the time of the ruling?
Children of non-EEA students who were already in school at the time of the ruling were to be allowed to continue their education in State schools provided that the parent's course completed on or before July 2010. Parents were not permitted to enrol in new courses or transfer between courses. » More
If I have a child in Ireland during my studies, what will be his/her status?
Since a change to the law on 1 January 2005, children born in Ireland are not automatically entitled to Irish citizenship unless they have an Irish or British parent. In all other cases, entitlement to citizenship is based on proving a firm link to Ireland through a parent being legally resident for at least 3 of the 4 years prior to the birth and documented as such by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). » More
Last updated: March 2010