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Criticism as international students told to enroll in a course to extend their visas

The Department of Justice has said that they will take a pragmatic approach to the situation.

A REPRESENTATIVE BODY for international students in Ireland has criticised the Department of Justice for telling people studying English to pay for a course so they can extend their visas.

Laura Harmon of the Irish Council for International Students (ICOS) said the move unfair and called on the department to review the advice.

The advice from the Department was to foreign language students studying in Ireland who have expiring visas.

To enable them to stay in the country they must pay for a 25-week course irrespective of whether they can complete it or not.

“While we welcome the decision by the Department of Justice to extend international students’ visas until 20 September 2021, we feel it is extremely unfair that many English language students will be forced to pay for classes they will be unable to attend.

“Given the financial strain that students are under as a result of the pandemic, it seems highly unfair, for example, that a person whose visa expires on the 20 July must enrol in a 25-week course when they can only avail of 9-10 weeks, and in addition to this, they are expected to pay €300 to renew their permission,” Harmon said.

ICOS is calling on the Department of Justice to reconsider its position and said that it “needlessly penalises students” whose visas will expire in the summer months.

The group has said a fairer approach would be to allow students to enrol in an English language course in accordance with the number of weeks remaining on their visa and for any renewal fee to be waived.

“The information on the INIS website must be clearly displayed and in a language that non-native English speakers can expect to understand as ICOS continues to receive dozens of emails from international students who are unsure about the visa extension, or what they must do to renew, which is partly due to the confusing nature of immigration’s website,” Harmon added.

In response to a query by The Journal, the Department of Justice said that they understood the impact on members of the public including international students.

“The Department recognises the difficulties that Covid-19 has had on everyone in the country, including our international student population. From the outset of the pandemic, we have worked to provide assistance and assurance to people who use our immigration services.

“Since the pandemic was declared in March 2020, immigration permissions have been extended, on seven occasions, until 20 September 2021.

“If a student’s immigration permission expires during the Summer months, they can enrol on another 25 week English language course and register their permission to be in the State. This currently will allow them to remain in the State until 20 September, however, each case will be assessed on its individual merits and a pragmatic approach will be adopted,” the statement read.

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    Mute Mark
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    Mar 13th 2020, 5:38 PM

    Are playdates ok ? NO!

    286
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    Mute Sorcha Ní Shúilleabháin
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    Mar 13th 2020, 6:47 PM

    @Mark: Playdates were never ok. Heard a top child and family psychologist on the radio a few weeks ago speaking about how they’re needless and normally only an excuse for parents to get together to gossip about other parents! Children get plenty social interaction at creche, preschool, school or even at home with their families!!

    61
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    Mute Angel Drake
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    Mar 13th 2020, 7:39 PM

    @Sorcha Ní Shúilleabháin: how old are your children?? Because if u had children in junior infants and third class ud know they always ask for play dates, top psychologist? Please name? Because play dates I feel builds there self esteem and gives them cultural or social differental experiences.

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    Mute Sorcha Ní Shúilleabháin
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    Mar 13th 2020, 9:05 PM

    @Angel Drake: I’m patently aware of the needs of school-aged children and of the myriad of research that overwhelmingly indicates that play dates are not necessary for social development. Informal play with siblings etc. and interaction in school-based settings is far more valuable than the kind of contrived and overly structured situations that parents conjure up.

    11
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    Mute Kevin Bury
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    Mar 13th 2020, 11:43 PM

    @Sorcha Ní Shúilleabháin: seriously, go pet ur cat

    40
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    Mute Shakka1244
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    Mar 13th 2020, 5:50 PM

    Kids can catch it and kids can spread it.
    Please everyone, just for a few weeks, assume you have the virus and act like you don’t want to spread it.
    We all need to work together here !

    233
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    Mute Shakka1244
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    Mar 13th 2020, 6:27 PM

    @David Jordan: Please ignore this. It’s pure lies.
    .
    @journal, please remove this dangerous misinformation. I’ve seen this poster spout this rubbish on loads of threads.

    17
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    Mute Shakka1244
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    Mar 13th 2020, 7:05 PM

    @Shakka1244: thank you @journal
    Fair pkay

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    Mute Quentin Moriarty
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    Mar 13th 2020, 7:25 PM

    @Shakka1244: ????????

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    Mute Shakka1244
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    Mar 13th 2020, 9:07 PM

    @Quentin Moriarty: someone called David Jordan keeps posting the same stuff saying kids can’t catch it or spread it. Completely false. I asked for his post to be removed.

    18
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    Mute Dino
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    Mar 13th 2020, 10:04 PM

    @Shakka1244: thank god, if it wasn’t for people like you I don’t know what we would do

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    Mute Bleurgh
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    Mar 13th 2020, 5:59 PM

    Look people it’s 2 weeks, with your children….relax! It’s good for kids to be bored. I have friends who grew up in rural Ireland in the 80s, who wouldn’t see anyone outside their family for 2 or 3 weeks over the summer.
    I have muted my kids classes WhatsApp groups, I am so annoyed at the parents talking with such dread of being at home with their own children in their own house. I’d rather my kids at home than visiting them in icu. Myself and himself are trying to do working from
    Home in shifts.
    Also I hate play dates with a passion, I wish for the days that kids knocked on the door to play!
    Deal with it, it’s a few weeks!

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    Mute Paddy Dunne
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    Mar 13th 2020, 6:45 PM

    @Bleurgh: it’s not going to be 2 weeks it’s going to be at least a month 2 weeks is preliminary 4 days to Easter hols there will be no school till after Easter

    50
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    Mute Tommy Roche
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    Mar 13th 2020, 6:50 PM

    @Bleurgh: There is absolutely no way this is just a 2 week closure. The governments plan is to try delay the peak of infection until late spring/early summer when the usual winter type ailments all but die out, thus leaving the health services under a little less pressure and better able to focus on this particular virus. Even the governments experts are saying our peak is at least weeks away, if not months, so how would it make any sense to reopen schools when the situation is going to be worse on the 29th March than it is now ? Ive no doubt the closure will be extended until after the easter break, and if at that point the number of infections are still rising then anything is possible. Wouldn’t be one bit surprised if the closures run up to the summer holidays and schools dont reopen until next Sept.

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    Mute Jacqueline McCabe
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    Mar 13th 2020, 5:47 PM

    No

    25
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    Mute Arya
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    Mar 13th 2020, 5:42 PM

    How are the children learning at home? Is there tools online from the schools or department of education?

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    Mute Johnny BeGoode
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    Mar 13th 2020, 5:44 PM

    @Arya: The educational website twinkl is offering free membership to all parents this month, this is a fantastic resource. Go to www.twinkl.ie/offer and enter the code IRLTWINKLHELPS

    52
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    Mute Record Sunshine
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    Mar 13th 2020, 5:45 PM

    @Arya: mine are learning all about Zelda at the moment. They’re in primary school and a few weeks of doing f all won’t harm their career prospects.

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    Mute Bríd
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    Mar 13th 2020, 5:45 PM

    @Arya: Yes, there’s lots of online classroom resources. Many schools are using Google Classroom and Edmodo as well as sending links home, textbooks and assigning research projects.

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    Mute Dave Harris
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    Mar 13th 2020, 5:47 PM

    @Arya: my junior infant will have daily lessons on seesaw. Used it today and its great

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    Mute Sarah Green
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    Mar 13th 2020, 6:00 PM

    @Arya: My son’s school is doing work with the pupils via their iPads.

    9
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    Mute Bleurgh
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    Mar 13th 2020, 6:00 PM

    @Arya: teachers in primary have sent home packs for kids to do. At second level many have platforms where teachers have uploaded work

    16
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    Mute Towger
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    Mar 13th 2020, 6:30 PM

    @Arya: My secondary children had a full day of school online today, following their normal timetable. The school is using MS Teams. By all accounts it went better than expected.

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    Mute Adam Conroy
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    Mar 13th 2020, 7:20 PM

    @Arya: they’re using online platforms. In fairness though, most education happens at home. A month out of school won’t do any harm.

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    Mute Mark Porter
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    Mar 13th 2020, 7:50 PM

    @Arya: our secondary school has online access to subjects and work.

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    Mute Kevin Bury
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    Mar 13th 2020, 11:47 PM

    @Record Sunshine: 78 thumbs up…. villages and their idiots

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    Mute Kevin Thompson
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    Mar 14th 2020, 7:55 AM

    Regardless whether it is 2 weeks or 2 months to mind your own children, it would be a great opportunity to teach them not to be selfish a**holes in hoarding as their adult counterparts and learn how to look after the more vulnerable in society

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    Mute Mark Porter
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    Mar 13th 2020, 7:48 PM

    2 weeks is the isolation period.

    2
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