Ireland’s flagship higher-education fair kicked off in Mumbai on 8 October, bringing 17 Irish universities face-to-face with thousands of Indian students. Opening the event, Consul-General Patrick Duffy highlighted Ireland’s new goal of doubling Indian enrolments by 2030 and announced a dedicated visa-processing window for January 2027 intakes. A standout feature was a live seminar by an official from the Irish Visa Office in New Delhi, who walked attendees through financial proofs, biometric appointments and the recently introduced two-year post-study work permission. According to organisers, 600 applicants booked one-to-one slots to pre-screen their paperwork, a service introduced after 33 % of Indian study-visa refusals last year were linked to incomplete documentation. The fair also hosted the first Ireland–India Higher Education Forum in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry. University College Dublin, Dublin City University and the Indian Institute of Management Mumbai signed letters of intent to develop dual-degree programmes that would allow students to split study time between both countries without extra visa applications. For Irish employers the initiative is more than a branding exercise: under the Third-Level Graduate Programme, students completing master’s degrees may take up full-time roles for up to 24 months, feeding skills-shortage sectors such as ICT and pharmaceuticals. Greater transparency on visa requirements should, in theory, reduce deferrals and improve the talent pipeline. The roadshow travels next to Chennai and Bengaluru, after which Education in Ireland will publish updated recruitment targets and a report on common visa-documentation errors observed during the clinic.
Source: Skilloutlook
