An investigation by The Journal has uncovered more than €60,000 in unpaid refunds owed to dozens of non-EU students whose Irish study-visa applications were rejected—despite regulations requiring language schools to repay fees within 20 working days of a refusal. The Irish Council for International Students (ICOS) says complaints have surged, with some Mongolian and Algerian applicants waiting up to a year. Under the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP), schools must place tuition payments in escrow until a visa decision is issued. Industry sources point to patchy enforcement and cash-flow pressures in a sector still recovering from pandemic losses. The Department of Justice has warned that providers failing to comply risk removal from the ILEP, which would bar them from recruiting overseas students. Ireland’s English-language market is worth more than €1 billion annually. Protracted refund delays threaten the State’s reputation as a safe study destination, potentially diverting applicants to competitor hubs such as Malta, Canada and New Zealand. Agents report some schools now demanding non-refundable “administration fees”, a practice ICOS says flouts consumer-protection law. Corporate mobility teams that use Ireland’s language-school pathway to upskill dependants of assignees should verify refund guarantees and insist on escrow confirmation before wiring fees. Multinationals are also advised to build refund-timelines into relocation budgets and to brief employees on appeal procedures if visas are refused. A forthcoming “TrustEd Ireland” quality-mark aims to tighten oversight, but advocates argue the scheme must include bonded insurance to protect fee payments in the event of school insolvency.
Source: The Journal
