US student gets residency permit

GARDA immigration officials have backed down on a decision not to grant a visa to a US postgraduate student because her son was attending primary school here.

Erin Britton has been studying at NUI Galway for the past year and planned to complete a second year in her Master’s degree in medieval studies.

Her son Aidan, four, started junior infants in September in the Claddagh National School in Galway.

Ms Britton was told last week that either she or her son, or both, would be deported because of a new Government policy that does not allow the children of student visa holders to avail of free education here.

The mother applied to the High Court on Monday to have the Government’s decision overturned.

But before her case went for judicial review, the Garda National Immigration Bureau told her that it would renew her visa, regardless of whether her son was attending primary school.

Ms Britton received her new residency permit yesterday.

She and her son will both continue to be educated in Ireland for another year.

The Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) said it is aware of a number of other similar cases and hope the Government will change its policy of denying free education to the children of student visa holders.

Ms Britton’s solicitor, Hilkka Becker, from the council, said she was delighted: “The ICI hopes the Government will now take the same commonsense approach to other international students in a similar position.”