Immigrants and foreign students face 50% fee hike

IMMIGRANTS and students seeking to study in Ireland have been hit with a 50% increase in the cost of registration with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB).

A notice has appeared on the GNIB website, announcing that the new registration fee is now €150, up from the €100 fee introduced in 2006. The new fee coincides with the introduction of fingerprinting of international students registered with the GNIB.

Non-EU immigrants pay for work permits (€500 annually), for annual re-entry visas (€100) and for the GNIB card (€100). Non-EU students also pay millions each year to third- level institutions in tuition fees. The Migrants Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) estimates that the increase could generate an additional €5 million-€10m.