Under the terms of their visas, they are entitled to work 20 hours a week, and 40 hours a week outside of term time. The documents also asserted that many of the students concerned “frequently work more than the hours they are permitted”. “We should not be facilitating employers who wish to employ international students on low pay where those jobs could in some cases otherwise be filled by Irish students or workers. It is likely that wage suppression is caused by the availability of such lower skilled international student labour,” the papers said. Lawless said that he expected 50-60 of the 100 language schools currently operating would be accredited under the new scheme.

Source: The Irish Times February 16, 2026 14:33 UTC