THE CHIEF executive of the association of recognised English language schools has said inconsistent Garda immigration procedures are undermining Ireland's ability to compete in the lucrative market for foreign students.
Adrian Cummins of MEI-RELSA, which represents two-thirds of all recognised English language schools, raised the issue after a number of Brazilian educational agents, who travelled here recently for a Fáilte Ireland-sponsored event, complained of their treatment by officers at Dublin airport.
He said the Brazilians, who were among 81 education specialists from around the world travelling to a workshop on Ireland's attractiveness to foreign students, reported that they were "hassled" by immigration gardaí and asked why they were sending so many of their compatriots to Ireland.
"I don't think that's part of the line of questioning. It was the tone that was taken - they got hassled, and they weren't too happy about it," Mr Cummins told The Irish Times.
"We started the whole familiarisation trip on the back foot already, because if they're asking an educational officer those questions, students would be asked similar questions, maybe more vigorously."
Some 200,000 students come to Ireland each year to learn English, and a report published last year by economic consultants Indecon estimated that the sector is worth €500 million annually to the economy.
However, Mr Cummins said he was concerned that procedures at ports of entry were undermining the industry.
"It will have an effect, no doubt about that. We're trying to compete for market share against our competitors and our competitors - be it Great Britain, Malta, the US or Canada - are going to capitalise on problems we would have in the area of visa processing and how we treat students at the point of entry."
While the British authorities could issue a visa within 48 hours, the process here usually took more than two months, Mr Cummins added.
Brazilians account for less than 2 per cent of students who enrol in recognised English-language schools in the Republic. They do not require a visa to enter the State and immigration officials believe some enter the country as students in order to stay and work.
According to Mr Cummins, questioning at ports of entry had been "ramped up" recently and his members have noticed a particular "tightening" around Brazilian arrivals.
Last month, a diplomatic row broke out between Ireland and Brazil over the detention in Mountjoy Prison of three students who were trying to enter the Republic. The incident led to the police being called to investigate a bomb threat at the Irish embassy in Brasilia.
Mr Cummins acknowledged that the authorities were concerned about rogue colleges, but said the problem could be resolved if the Government regulated the sector.
Five government departments currently had responsibility for the English-language learning sector, he added, and co-ordination by one body was long overdue.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice said that in the case of non-EEA (European Economic Area) students who did not require a visa, it was for them to satisfy the immigration officer on arrival that they were enrolled in a course approved by the Department of Education, that they had paid the course fees and that they had sufficient funds to support themselves.
"Students who can do this should not have a major problem," she added.
However, the level of abuse was "unacceptably high", she added, and the department was currently reviewing the entire student immigration scheme.
