Imagine growing up in Ireland, going to school in Ireland, sitting your Leaving Certificate and getting your dream course in university and maybe even starting that course before you find out that you have to pay thousands of euros in students fees and your application for a SUSI grant has been refused because you don't have the 'right' kind of immigration status. You drop out or refuse your place.
This story happens to hundreds of children and young people from migrant or asylum-seeking backgrounds across Ireland.
Did you know?
- Migrant children who are in care and living with foster families are very often granted a residency permission known as an 'Exceptional Stamp 4' when they turn 16. Although they can live and work in Ireland, their residency permission does not allow them to access SUSI grants.
- Children and young people who grow up in migrant families where one of their parents has a work permit are often granted a residency permission on 'Stamp 3' conditions. This type of residency permission means that they can't work and can't get any financial supports to access further or third level education.
- Children and young people in the asylum process must wait for three years before they qualify for financial supports to access further or third level education.
Unfortunately these rules are not well known and many children and young people as well as their parents, teachers and social workers are unaware of these very strict rules which mean that hundreds of children and young people miss out on their education dreams every year.
We're asking for your help!
Can you help young people to achieve their dreams of accessing education? We're asking you to take action. You can:
- Sign our Uplift petition asking Minister Simon Harris to expand access to the SUSI grant;
- Share our video on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
- Write to Minister Simon Harris using our template letter.
At the time there wasn’t anyone [ ] connected to me that had any knowledge of why and how I didn’t get SUSI, I didn’t even know why, I think if I had more knowledge of the situation I could’ve overcome it, I’m still trying to overcome it.
Marjani, young person, Our Lives Our Futures project.
