There can be no exception to the requirement for English language schools to refund course fees to non-European Economic Area applicants who are unsuccessful in securing visas to study and work in Ireland, the Minister for Justice has said.
Jim O'Callaghan made the comments after RTÉ News revealed that a number of schools here have failed to return monies paid to student applicants.
Non EEA students must pay course fees of up to €3,000 to one of more than 80 schools approved by the Department of Justice prior to applying for a visa.
Schools are required to hold these monies on deposit in escrow bank accounts and to return the fees if a visa is refused.
Mr O’Callaghan said: "If money has been paid it is lawful and it is required that money be repaid by the English language schools."
Speaking in Ennis, Mr O’Callaghan added that "there can be no exception to that".
"If people pay money on deposit they are entitled to have it repaid."
The Minister said his department had recently written to the colleges to remind them of this obligation.
He was referring to a letter by the Irish Immigration Service sent last month which stated: "We are seeing evidence of an increase in requests from refused visa applicants seeking their refunds from ILEP listed Providers, some of who are very concerned and worried about the delays they are experiencing.
"The Arrangements Applying to English Language Programmes (updated March 2025), clearly state the following: For handling of advance payments dependent on the visa application process, ILEP Providers must operate an escrow/delayed payment account with a payments institution authorised by a designated competent authority under EU Directive or a separate client visa/escrow account with a financial body regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland."
The letter went on to state: "If the visa application is refused, the funds (less any pre-indicated handling charge) must be refunded within 20 working days of the decision being communicated to the Provider."
Last month, three Mongolian agencies that work with English language schools in Ireland informed the Department of Justice that more than 250 young people in Mongolia are struggling to recoup sums of up to €3,100 each owed to them by six schools operating here.
They called on the department to take immediate steps to resolve a situation which they say is causing significant financial hardship to the students and their families and is negatively impacting the reputation and credibility of Ireland's international education sector.
Earlier this month, the department wrote to the three agencies to request documents supporting the claim, including correspondence between the agencies and the six schools in question.
Refund for one student
Separately, an Algerian student featured in RTÉ News reports earlier this month is set to receive a refund of his course fees, a year and a half after he first requested it.
This morning, Djamel Eddine Kedadra received an email from Student Campus in Limerick with a bank log attached showing that his refund of more than €2,177.15 is finally on its way. The transaction is dated 15 May.
Earlier this month, he shared documents and correspondence with RTÉ News showing numerous requests for the return of his monies via mail and WhatsApp since January 2025
Last September he wrote to the school: "All I ask for if you have some heart left is to please give me my money back even if it's partial."
RTÉ News understands that immigration authorities wrote to the school last week to request that it refund three named students, including Mr Kedadra.
He is among 17 Algerian students who paid fees on deposit to Student Campus in 2024 and 2025 and were then refused visas to come to Ireland.
RTÉ News has seen documents and correspondence related to these cases, which show the students appealing to the school to return the money they are owed.
Rise in study visa application refusals
Department of Justice data shows a significant rise in the number of study visa applications refused between 2024 and 2025.
The increase in the number of visa refusals related to applications from Algeria is even more marked.
While 8,006 study visa applications were refused in 2024, 10,529 were refused the following year.
Ninety-five applications from Algeria were refused in 2024, while 226 applications were refused in 2025. In 2025 just 14 study visa applications from Algeria were approved compared to 57 the previous year.
The data reflects the impact of a tightening of criteria for entry to Ireland.
The higher refusal rates leaves a larger number of students reliant on English language colleges abiding by the rules governing the return of course fees, and vulnerable to some schools who are failing to do so.
Now finally set to receive his refund Mr Kedadra said: "For now I am holding back my emotions.
"I will still need to verify whether the payment has been fully processed by next week before I can be completely reassured.
"But this is already good news," he added.
