Several non-EU students living in Ireland for around 7 years are seeking help to attain Stamp 4 Visas. All of them came to Ireland as students for a better quality of life. After earning their Master’s Degrees, they were hopeful, until they could not find jobs that issue them Work Permit. So they managed with their Stamp 1G visas and kept on trying to land the job that would help them attain Stamp 4 one day. For this, they attained their next Master’s Degrees and applied again. But history just repeated itself.
In the case of one student here in Dublin, after reaching Ireland in 2012, they took two Masters. MSc in International Business Management and Master of Arts in Accounting & Finance. After holding Stamp 1G till September 2020, Justice granted this person Stamp 1 special permission. This was done so that they could find suitable jobs with Critical Skills Permit. But this person’s application for Critical Skills Permit was rejected twice.
Another student, after arriving in Ireland in 2013, also achieved two Master’s Degrees. MSc in International Business Management, and later on, to extend Stamp 1G Visa, an MBA in Human Resource Management.
The pandemic that started in 2020 made matters worse, with nobody getting any internship or job placement.
Their stories and earned degrees might be different, but every one of them shares a common plight. They have paid all their taxes and earned multiple Master’s Degrees from Ireland spending a huge amount of money to improve their quality of education. Furthermore, their attempts to find suitable employment have been unsuccessful, largely because, the employers have a clear preference to hire individuals who hold a Stamp 4 than those who hold a temporary student visa. Now at the end of 7 years, they are at crossroads, when they are not allowed to extend their 1G Visas. They do not know whether to stay and search for better jobs or to go back.
Regularisation of Long Term Migrants Scheme
A new scheme called the Regularisation of Long Term Migrants Scheme has opened up applications for undocumented people. Under this, undocumented people living in Ireland for at least 4 years at the start of the scheme, can apply for Stamp 4 residence permission. For families with children under 18, if they have been living in Ireland for at least 3 years, also can apply.
All of these students are dejected to see that they are not included in the new scheme, where the government tries to upgrade the visa status of undocumented people. Once more than 17000 undocumented people get their Stamp 4, these long-term students feel that they are now at a disadvantage, solely because they complied and respected the law. They want the government to realize all their efforts and contributions to the country’s economy, and consider them as well for Stamp 4 along with undocumented people.
If students like this can be included in this scheme, then their hard work of so many years will pay off. There is still hope that the government will consider the students, who have been so far doing everything within their limits to stay afloat.