Pending CORU accreditation and Masters course for student visa

[Eoinyponypony]

Hi I'm new here,

So I met my girlfriend whilst I was in India earlier this year. We've been largely inseparable and short of getting married, we're trying to exhaust every possibility so that she can get over here to Ireland.

Her easiest route is to gain eligibility to work by getting her Masters accredited by CORU but she has no work experience, and I also find so many Reddit posts saying CORU are painstakingly slow- some people are still waiting 14 months for approval even though the advertised time is 10 weeks-4 months.

So we started looking at student courses that she could do in the meantime:

https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming- ... n-ireland/ this mentions higher certs (level 6) and above are the level of study that typically grants a visa.

Looking at phd/Masters, there was only one or two 1-year full time courses in the Dublin area which actually suit her pre-existing nutrition Masters naturally, and they all cost at least 26k which is unimaginable for an Indian to be paying- so a no-go there.

With regards to a level 6, I spoke to Sallynoggin IFE about courses there in relation to some physio-related course and they said that she would need a stamp 4 to study there- which seemed confusing considering that the Irish immigration website does list level 6's as being eligible- but I'm now thinking that it's more about the money they want to make from incoming students than anything else.

So we're now at an impasse, and completely stumped as to how to get her here. She has a brother in Australia who is encouraging her to stay there so that they can find her good work and a husband but I dearly love this woman and I'm just at the end of my tether trying to forge a path for her to get here.

Does anyone else know what's the situation with student visas and whats the reality behind such obscure red tape and whether or not there's a way around it?

Thanks for anyone that can help or suggest anything. Peace

[alterhase58]

Not an expert on Irish immigration regulations or university sector .... @meself2 ?
Note that certainly in the UK foreign students are a major economic factor supporting (subsidising) the university sector, which explains the hefty fees. Ireland and many other countries are probably the same.
Also immigration regulations in all countries don't make it easy for or support modern living, boyfriend/girlfriend visas don't exist.
Marriage might be the easiest way but like in the UK there may be hurdles in terms of sponsor's income or savings levels.
It looks like petty red tape but there are generally no legal ways round it.

[meself2]

this mentions higher certs (level 6) and above are the level of study that typically grants a visa.

Even though there are a few courses with Level 6, I would not really consider those a very viable option - compared to uni degrees, which are common to get abroad, it might be very challenging to explain to ISD why exactly Ireland is chosen as a place to get a level 6.
And yes, the fees for international students are extraordinary high for the reasons outlined.

Also, not every single course for level 6 puts someone in a position to get a visa, only ones in ILEP. Have you checked if the Sallynoggin one even on it?
You have to refer to ILEP about every course you consider, even Master's/PhD, to see if you can be admitted just to study it.

Let's also try to gather information about you to see what pathways exist.
Are you an Irish citizen or EU? On a visa (which one, if so)? What's your basis to stay here?
And yes, is going back to India and getting married an option? You can then apply for a spouse visa from Ireland (if you're fulfilling certain conditions, like income levels, as alterhaze58 mentioned) and wait for an approval (or even easier if you're an EU citizen).