Study and work in Ireland on Stamp 2: hours, required funds and the 2026 rules

Stamp 2 is the immigration permission for non-EEA, non-Swiss nationals who come to study full time for more than three months ¹. The course must be on the official list of approved programmes (ILEP) and you must have started classes before you register the permission ^{2 3}.

There are three kinds of programme on the list: English of at least 25 weeks, higher education and foundation courses ¹. Part-time or distance courses do not qualify for the permission ².

On an English course, the permission runs for up to eight months and can be renewed with a new 25-week course at a higher level, up to a limit of three eight-month permissions, or two years in total ¹. To stay on as a student after that, you must enter a higher education programme on the list ². To renew, immigration asks for your final exam result and your attendance ¹.

With a valid Stamp 2 you can work up to 20 hours a week during term time ¹. In June, July, August and September, and from 15 December to 15 January, the limit rises to 40 hours a week ¹.

Degree students at NFQ level 7 or above can do a work placement that forms part of the course for more than 20 hours a week, provided it earns ECTS credits and does not exceed 50% of the length of the course ¹.

The ISD reminds you that you must show you can support yourself without relying on this occasional work ¹.

Those who need a visa prove their funds in the visa application. Those who enter without a visa show at registration that they had access, on arrival, to ³:

• 10,000 euros for courses with permission of more than eight months;
• 833 euros a month or 6,665 euros in total for courses with permission of up to eight months.

Payment of the course is also checked. For the English course, the document list asks for proof of payment of the course ³. For higher education and the other categories 2 to 6 on the same page, if the course costs less than 6,000 euros you pay all of it before registration; if it costs more, you pay at least 6,000 euros ³. At the first registration of an English student, private medical insurance or travel insurance with medical and hospital cover for the whole stay is accepted; at renewal, only private medical insurance ³. The registration fee is 300 euros, set by S.I. No. 421/2025 ³.

The ISD explains that the visa requirement depends on your nationality ⁶. On the list published by the Embassy of Ireland in Belgium, updated on 12 May 2025, Brazil appears among the countries that do not need a visa to enter Ireland ⁷. That is why, as a Brazilian, you prove the money at registration, after you arrive. The ISD offers videos on immigration terms in Portuguese too ³.

In 2026 the ISD published the rules of the TrustEd Ireland mark, which will replace the ILEP. Only courses at schools authorised by QQI to use the mark will give a visa and Stamp 2; during the transition, ILEP schools remain valid if they meet the rules ⁴. For English courses, the document sets ⁴:

• in-person classes, from 9am to 5pm, on at least four days from Monday to Friday; online courses do not give a visa;
• at least 15 hours of class a week and 25 weeks within seven months, with at least 375 hours;
• minimum attendance of 85%, and the school reports to immigration absences of 25% or more in the first six weeks;
• permission of up to eight months, with a final exam after 25 weeks of classes.

Between May and August 2026 there was also a bridging permission until 30 September 2026 for those who finished the third English course, or the second from 1 July 2026, and already had a paid enrolment in a higher education programme starting by the end of October ⁵. Those who finished the second or third course from 1 July were exempt from the registration fee; those who finished the third before that date paid the normal 300 euros ⁵. That notice, published on 15 April 2026, applied only from 1 May to 31 August 2026 ⁵.

If you complete a level 8 qualification in Ireland you can receive 12 months of Stamp 1G to look for skilled work, as long as the total on the student path (Stamps 2, 2A, 1A and 1G) does not exceed seven years; level 9 or above gives up to 24 months, with a limit of eight years ². With Stamp 1G you work 40 hours a week without a permit ².

The Critical Skills Employment Permit requires a job offer of at least two years ⁸. The annual salary minimums are ⁸:

Situation	Minimum annual salary
Occupation on the Critical Skills Occupations List, with a relevant degree	40,904 euros
Same case, with a degree obtained in the 12 months before the application	36,848 euros
Other eligible occupations	68,911 euros

The fee is 1,000 euros, with a 90% refund if the application is refused ⁸. If you already live legally in Ireland on another permission you can receive the permit and then register the change of status with immigration ⁸. At the end of the permit, the holder can apply for Stamp 4 directly to the Department of Justice ⁸.