what does irish citizenship mean?

[bender]

hey
I am a canadian. My girlfriend's father was born in Ireland and apparently this makes her an irish citizen. She would like to go to school somewhere in Europe because apparently it is much cheaper to get an education over there, if you are a tax paying member, than here, is this possible? so how do we do this? i would also like to go to school over in europe somewhere. Does being a citizen of Ireland really mean you can go to school anywhere in Europe without having to pay international student fees? This is what our Canadian embassador told us. hope someone can clarify this a bit.

[John]

Reading this webpage will confirm that it appears that your girlfriend is an Irish Citizen. She should contact her nearest Irish embassy or consulate and ask for details about how she should go about getting an Irish passport.

Being an Irish citizen also means she is a citizen of the EU and EEA. You ask about education fees. Here in the UK she would not be entitled to be classed as a Home student ... because she has not lived in the EEA for the past three years. Her Irish Citizenship does not automatically make her a "Home student". (I am presuming your girlfriend lives in Canada.)

The same would apply to say a British citizen who has lived in say Australia for many years and who recently returned to the UK.

Which country does your girlfriend intend to study in? She needs to check out whether that country has the same three-year rule.

i would also like to go to school over in Europe somewhere.

I am struggling to see how your girlfriend being Irish is going to help you. But we are not told how long your relationship has lasted already or whether marriage is contemplated. However if the two of you do get married then you would be a "Family member of an EU/EEA citizen". If your wife (as she would be) is exercising her treaty rights to study or to work in any EEA country (apart from Ireland) then you would be able to apply for an EEA Family Permit. This would effectively confirm that you would have the same treaty rights as your EEA national spouse.

[bender]

thanks for the quick reply

What does "home student"mean? What advantages does this give her? I pressume home students pay less than others right? We will research on our own what countries are more favourable to our situation but thanks is there a good website for us to start this search? we are thinking the UK, Ireland, Spain, France, we speak french, English and a little spanish but both love the ocean. any suggestions?

we have been together for five years +. Does this mean anything?an example is in Canada this gives you common law status, which is almost the same as being married.
thank you again for all the information.

[John]

What does "home student"mean? What advantages does this give her?

Here in the UK university/college students are either Home or Overseas. There is a distinct difference in the fees payable. My wife, now a Home student, is currently doing a Masters Degree course and has paid tuition fees of about £1700. Before the college accepted that she is a Home student they were quoting over £6000 as an Overseas student .... for exactly the same course.

So in a nutshell, Home student means subsidised fees.

we are thinking the UK, Ireland, Spain, France, we speak french, English and a little spanish but both love the ocean. any suggestions?

All those countries have oceans! Sorry, you really do need to make your own choice. Colder ocean? Warmer ocean? Your choice!

Here in the UK a number of south coast towns/cities have Universities .... Brighton, Portsmouth, Southampton etc..

we have been together for five years +. Does this mean anything?an example is in Canada this gives you common law status, which is almost the same as being married.

If "been together" means "been living together", or the two of you have lived together for at least the last two years, and can prove it, it might indeed be possible to proceed on an unmarried basis.

The starting point must be for your girlfriend to get an Irish passport. Without that all the possibilities under EEA legislation appear closed.