Every year, students from every part of the world choose Ireland to pursue a degree, once Ireland is home to third-level universities and colleges of global standing. In addition, international students are attracted by the opportunity to develop a career in the Country.  

“The Third-level Graduate Programme (Stamp 1G), intends to allow legally resident Irish educated non-EEA graduates holding an award of a recognised Irish awarding body to remain in Ireland after their studies. This should be for the purpose of seeking graduate-level employment and applying for either a general employment permit, a critical skills employment permit or a research hosting agreement.” (Citizenship information, 2021).

As a result of the events of 2020, the year 2021 remains uncertain on a national and global scale. Therefore, companies have implemented hiring freezes and postponed planned recruitment processes, making seeking employment more challenging than usual. The situation is even more challenging for international students who graduated between 2019 and 2020. Thousands of students have invested a significant amount in college fees, and have been unable to find a job and, consequently, a visa sponsorship. 

In the view of all the above, we would immensely appreciate it if the Department of Justice took into consideration our appeal to extend the visa of all graduate students for one more year. This would give us a more realistic chance of successfully securing seeking for a sponsorship. This extension will not only be beneficial for students, but also for the Irish market for retaining a qualified workforce in the Country.