Ireland Study Visa Rules: Old vs. New(2025 Update)

Old Rule (Before 2025)

New Rule (2025 Onwards)

AVATS online form was required.

Still AVATS form + signed and dated hard copy submission with official checklist.

Not strictly enforced

VFS payment proof is mandatory and must be submitted

SOP was part of the requirement but not heavily scrutinized

Now highly emphasized. Must explain study plan, career goals, and any relatives in Ireland/UK.

Required offer letter from a recognized institution.

Must be an unconditional offer from an institution listed on ILEP, with payment and insurance info.

No strict minimum. Partial payments often accepted.

Informal sponsor letters and funds sometimes accepted

Sponsors must submit a formal signed letter + supporting financial documents.

Some applicants used gold, crypto, chit funds, etc.

Required, but universities often determined minimum scores

Still required, but more scrutiny to ensure scores match course entry and are from valid tests

Often optional unless requested.

Now mandatory for all countries resided in over the past 5 years.

Now compulsory to provide copies of all visa and bio pages from old passports

Many applicants failed to disclose past visa refusals.

Must disclose all previous visa refusals with refusal letters. Failure leads to automatic rejection

Required, but often arranged after visa issuance

Must be confirmed before visa application.

Officers could request additional documents if unclear.

No additional requests will be made. The visa is decided based only on what is submitted initially.