Fine Gael wrong on foreign students

[FutureTaoiseach]

Fine Gael have announced plans to double Ireland's existing number of foreign-students from 40,000 to 80,000 - despite the recession and rampant abuse of the system by 'visa-factory schools':

Fine Gael has unveiled its plans to generate 6,000 jobs by making the country a magnet for foreign students. Fast-track visas in key markets, scholarships for Asian students and additional English language courses are among the party's proposals for doubling Ireland's share of the lucrative international education sector.
Education spokesman Brian Hayes said an extra 900 million euro could be pumped into the economy as a result of the five-year road map.
"In comparison to other English-speaking countries Ireland has not capitalised fully, with our market share estimated to be a disappointing 1% of the global international education market," Mr Hayes said.
"Increasing our market share would have huge benefits, not only in terms of revenue but also in relation to the creation of jobs."
There are currently 40,000 non-European students in Ireland, with around 15 local jobs created for every 100 pupils. The sector generates an estimated 900 million euro annually - 400 million euro from higher education and 500 million euro from the English language sector.
Fine Gael's International Horizons plan suggests the setting up of a special international education office and the automatic issuing of green cards to PhD graduates in the science, engineering and technology sectors.
The party also pledged to make the country a specialised centre of excellence for English language teacher training.
"The international education sector offers real benefits for the economy and for society," Fine Gael Immigration & Integration spokesman Denis Naughten said.
"A thriving international education sector will also inject resources into the third level sector at a time when the primary source of funding - the Irish State - is under severe fiscal pressure. It will improve the standard of education for Irish students and will stimulate other sectors such as the tourism industry."

At the same time, they failed to announce proposals to tackle rampant abuse of the system by bogus English-language schools. There is no compulsory registration of English-language schools. They need only provide an applicant 'student' with a letter of recommendation, and the latter can then send their application to Irish embassies and consulates. Instead of importing more labour-competition, they should be concentrating on providing jobs for the people already living here:

THE director of a private third-level college was arrested yesterday in a major crackdown on 'visa factory' schools luring foreign students to Ireland.
There are concerns about hundreds, if not thousands, of students paying colleges up to €5,000 in fees and a further €2,000 for documentation for questionable courses.
The Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) Operation Feather targeted at least five private colleges in recent days, because of concerns about bogus schools and possible immigration scams.
Students
The GNIB investigation calls into question the role of the Department of Education and Science in relation to private colleges.
Mauritius is a popular hunting ground for prospective students as it is one of the countries whose people do not need a visa to enter Ireland, although they require a visa to work here.
Ireland's reputation there has been severely damaged and one recent newspaper headline in that country refers to 'Ireland - the half truths about the new Eldorado'.
The college director, a Pakistani man living in Ireland for a number of years, was arrested at his home in Clonsilla, Dublin yesterday for suspected breaches of immigration legislation and possible breaches of the Trafficking Act 2000.
GNIB officers recently raided the director's college premises in Dublin and seized files. They had been in correspondence with the college concerning student attendance. Earlier this year the college was inspected by the Department of Education.
The college was recently removed from the department's Internationalisation Register, the approved list of courses for students who want to work part-time. The college is appealing the decision.
In February, a solicitor acting for the college said it had over almost 300 students - from Mauritius, India, China, Bangladesh, South Africa and Croatia.
Immigration officers had been refusing to provide work visas for students until they were satisfied with the information they received from the college.
Some students have received a refund for part of their fees from the college, but others have not. The college is now closed and students have no course, no visa and no work.
The Irish Council for International Students wrote to the college in February advising that students had serious financial problems because of their inability to work without visas.
At least 60 students have contacted the Citizens Advice Bureau in O'Connell Street, Dublin, which is advising them to take a case in the Small Claims Court...

Ironically, as recently as February 10th 2010, Fine Gael Immigration and Integration Spokesman Dennis Naughten admitted the system is being abused by bogus students and criticised Justice Minister Dermot Ahern for long-fingering a bill to reform the system:

Bogus student visas being promoted by Govt inaction- Naughten

The fact that people are working in Ireland on bogus student visas, as seen in reports today (Friday), has been facilitated by Minister Dermot Ahern’s failure to reform the student visa system according to Fine Gael Immigration & Integration Spokesman, Denis Naughten TD.


Bogus student visas and Govt inaction





The fact that people are working in Ireland on bogus student visas, as seen in reports today (Friday), has been facilitated by Minister Dermot Ahern’s failure to reform the student visa system according to Fine Gael Immigration & Integration Spokesman, Denis Naughten TD.

Deputy Naughten who queried the Minister on the issue in the Dáil last week, has spelt out how the Government’s dismal record has led to this point where so many can work in Ireland on phoney documentation.

“This again provides further proof that the immigration system is falling apart at the seams. Minister Ahern and his Government’s lack of action in the whole area of immigration has led directly to this point. The record is dismal:

• A Working Group on the Internationalisation of Irish Education was established in 2003 and its 2004 report was ignored;
• The Education (Ireland) Bill to establish a body to register the provision of education services including the teaching of English to foreign students took four years to draft and then was shelved last summer;
• The Gardai’s Operation Feather investigations into bogus schools highlighted the exploitation of the existing system;
• In 2008, Europol stated ‘In both the UK and Ireland, educational establishments gain in importance as facilitating factors in case of illegal immigration. This allows the use of genuine documents instead of falsified documents to apply for access to a school. Recently also bogus schools established by the organised crime group themselves, help obtaining the VISA applications by providing the necessary documents’;
• The Department of Justice in 2004 stated that ‘..because of the lack of a compulsory and statutory registration system for educational institutions and the absence of a comprehensive system of monitoring standards in such institutions, there is no objective test which can be applied quickly by the immigration authorities to determine whether a school is genuine or not and this is compounded by the fact that new schools are being established on a regular basis to satisfy demand”;
• In September 2008, Labour Minister Billy Kelleher expressed concerns about the operation of the student visa system.

“Last September Minister Ahern published plans to reform the student visa system with new measures to be introduced on January 1st. However, as the Minister admitted when I questioned him on the issue last week in Dáil, this new system has been put on the long-finger.

“Regulation of the international education sector is the only way to stamp out abuses in the student visa sector. As opposed to Minister Ahern’s indifference, Fine Gael has been the only political party to consistently raise the issue of the regulation of schools as it is fundamental to improving Ireland’s international education reputation. By licensing schools and addressing the issues associated with the visa system, Ireland could quickly become a leader in this sector. It already generates €900 million annually. With reform, it will substantially increase our competitiveness and will stamp out abuses of the system.

“The failure of the Minister for Justice to comprehensively address this issue before now beggars belief. It is clear that he has fundamentally failed to tackle this issue. He talks the talk but cannot walk the walk.”

Fine Gael must shelve these proposals until such time as unemployment falls significantly and the economy returns to growth. To import more cheap migrant labour is a slap in the face to the 400,000 Irish unemployed. Charity begins at home. It is grossly irresponsible to promote an increase in cheap-labour during the greatest recession since the Second World War. Furthermore, there is every likelihood that in a Rainbow government, Labour would veto regulation of the sector as part of its open-borders immigration policy.

It is the policy that I am against - not immigrants themselves. Write to the Fine Gael Immigration and Integration Spokesman, Dennis Naughten TD, to oppose this measure.

[Riadach]

Have you considered that allowing such students in from non-Eu countries might allow Irish universities to stay afloat, something that will benefit many Irish people.

[FutureTaoiseach]

Have you considered that allowing such students in from non-Eu countries might allow Irish universities to stay afloat, something that will benefit many Irish people.

A better solution is to make rich Irish people pay fees or allow universities to raise money on the stock-market.

[Riadach]

A better solution is to make rich Irish people pay fees or allow universities to raise money on the stock-market.

That wouldn't increase the amount of educated graduates these institutions would produce, who may decide to use their educational achievements to further the Irish economy. Unless of course, that's the issue you have.

[PrinceMax]

It would be a great idea. At the moment there are too many Irish people going to university, with no chance of finding work when they get out. We might as well charge foreign students to do the courses as these foreign students will be taking their qualifcations home. Most Irish graduates are leaving university to a life on the dole queues. We need less graduates.

[FutureTaoiseach]

That wouldn't increase the amount of educated graduates these institutions would produce, who may decide to use their educational achievements to further the Irish economy. Unless of course, that's the issue you have.

The issue is to protect Irish workers from non-EEA competition - given that we do not have power to restrict EU competition. 500 million people is more than enough of a labour-supply in the context of 12% unemployment.

I am also very concerned that nothing is being done about the fake English-language 'schools' that are not required to register with the authorities - forcing the Gardai to investigate each one individually before another one pops up and then another one ad infinitum.

[Riadach]

The issue is to protect Irish workers from non-EEA competition - given that we do not have power to restrict EU competition. 500 million people is more than enough of a labour-supply in the context of 12% unemployment.

I am also very concerned that nothing is being done about the fake English-language 'schools' that are not required to register with the authorities - forcing the Gardai to investigate each one individually before another one pops up and then another one ad infinitum.

The more educated graduates one has in the country, the more attractive Ireland becomes as a destination for foreign investment, hence increasing employement opportunities both in high-end sectors and elsewhere. The idea that we should discourage this in order to preserve jobs is ludicrous.

[FutureTaoiseach]

The more educated graduates one has in the country, the more attractive Ireland becomes as a destination for foreign investment, hence increasing employement opportunities both in high-end sectors and elsewhere. The idea that we should discourage this in order to preserve jobs is ludicrous.

The problem is that many are not foreign students but bogus-students, as admitted by FG themselves and as proven by Gardai raids on bogus schools. It also increases competition for scarce jobs in the worst recession since the Second World War. Furthermore, the proposals for Green Cards mean that they will remain in Ireland indefinitely, thereby representing a future cost in an economy that cannot provide them with work.

Another concern is that this proposal comes at a time when the UK is tightening up its regulations in this area, making Ireland more of a soft-target for bogus-students in the English-language sector.

English UK, the body that represents most language schools, says it will seek a judicial review of home secretary Alan Johnson's decision to prevent students with only beginner's English from entering Britain for English language courses.The regulations, announced last month, were in response to concerns about illegal immigration and radicalisation of students at UK institutions following the bombing attempt on a US-bound aircraft on Christmas Day by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a British-educated Nigerian.
Announcing the rules, Johnson said they would also prevent scams involving applications from women "who had long ceased education" trying to bring dependent husbands into the country.
The clampdown coincides with sharp cuts to university funding. Vice-chancellors have also warned that a decision in January to suspend student visa applications from large parts of the Indian subcontinent because of suspected abuse of the rules has affected enrolment numbers.
English UK, which represents 440 schools and colleges, describes the government's insistence that those who come to learn English must already be competent in the language as "an absurdity". The association says the home secretary has acted unlawfully because he has not brought the changes before parliament.
The schools claim as many as 100,000 students will be deterred from entering the UK, that £400m in income and 3,400 teaching jobs will be lost, and a further £1bn forfeited in university fees because higher education institutions recruit as many as 70% of their students from among those already studying English language and foundation courses in the UK.
Such an impact would not justify the rule change, lawyers for English UK contend. Making language colleges in effect part of the government's immigration control machinery is also illegal, they say.
"It's clearly absurd requiring students to know English before they come here to study it," said Tony Milns, chief executive of English UK, "We are already seeing evidence from agents, who book students onto courses, that they are saying the UK doesn't want students any more."...

[Riadach]

The problem is that many are not foreign students but bogus-students, as admitted by FG themselves and as proven by Gardai raids on bogus schools. It also increases competition for scarce jobs in the worst recession since the Second World War. Furthermore, the proposals for Green Cards mean that they will remain in Ireland indefinitely, thereby representing a future cost in an economy that cannot provide them with work.

Then focus on the bogus students as well. I didn't take issue with that part of your post. There is no reason why we shouldn't, as spokesman said, increase our attractiveness to accomplished graduates from foreign countries, whose expertise can only lead to improvements in the Irish economy.

[FutureTaoiseach]

Then focus on the bogus students as well. I didn't take issue with that part of your post. There is no reason why we shouldn't, as spokesman said, increase our attractiveness to accomplished graduates from foreign countries, whose expertise can only lead to improvements in the Irish economy.

Immigration hasn't helped the Irish economy so far, given the recession. It contributed (the policy - not the immigrants) to the overheating in the housing-market and consequently to the crash. This is just more bubble-economics. And if you can't find them jobs in this failing economy, they will go on the dole and become a net-cost. A particular point on the lack of necessity for this initiative is Dermot Ahern's admission below that 200,000 students (most of them EU-nationals) already come to Ireland to study.

Below is one example of a bogus English language school referred to by Justice Minister Dermot Ahern in Dail Eireann:

On inspection some time ago, a college in Dublin 8 had no desks, whiteboards, blackboards, books or papers. The so-called principal was unwilling to open the doors of the college, which effectively was being used as residential accommodation. At another college in Cork that was visited, none of the 70 so-called students who were registered was in attendance. The excuse given was that the students were off on their mid-term break. This site was visited again during the following month, when only eight students out of 59 were in attendance. A similar occurrence took place at a college which has branches in Dublin 2 and Dublin 9. When it was visited by the investigation unit, no students were in attendance----------which was ascribed to bad weather. The institution was visited the following month and no further students were in attendance that day. This undoubtedly is an issue that is being considered by the committee and obviously I will await the committee’s consideration, as well as the representations and submissions that have been made. However, it is an issue in that it is being used to an extent by some as an opportunity to come here as economic migrants. Lest anyone outside the Chamber thinks this is a major cohort, I wish to emphasise it is estimated that this only pertains to 10,000 to 11,000 people. While some educational interests suggest that 200,000 students come to Ireland for educational purposes, I am unsure whether that figure is correct. Undoubtedly, however, the vast majority of students who do so are not from non-EEA countries but in the main are from the European Union and do not require a visa at all.