An English-language school has been ordered to maintain an “untouchable bank account” for the protection of refunds of fees paid by students who have been unable to obtain visas to attend classes in Ireland.
Barrister Eoin Morris told Judge Denise Brett on Monday that Erin College, which has outlets in Dublin and Cork, along with a second school, Limerick Language Centre, could face closure if not restored to a Department of Education programme that allows it to sell English courses to foreign students requiring study visas.
Morris, who appeared for both colleges, said it was alleged there had been a huge increase in the refusal of study visas, which had led to many students being unable to get into Ireland to take up classes they had already paid for and now requiring refunds.
He said the department had dropped both colleges from the programme on the basis it was dissatisfied with their handling of refunds to students not granted study visas by the Minister for Justice. Both schools had failed in double-barrelled appeals against the Minister for Education’s decision.
READ MORE
Morris said both colleges were seeking to judicially review both the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Education, and were seeking interim injunctions against them together with stays on the decisions keeping the colleges from further participation in the programme.
The applications were strongly opposed by Tony McGillicuddy, for both Ministers, insisting on strong financial restrictions to protect students’ unpaid refunds, which in the case of Erin College had amounted to in the region of €74,000, until a full trial of the proceedings.
Lucas Finelli, Barcelona-based director of Erin College, which allegedly owed by far the highest estimate of refunds, stated in written evidence that the college, which is registered at 43 North Great George’s Street, Dublin, had operated in English-language education for more than 15 years.
“The numbers of visa-refused intended students has increased significantly and dramatically from 33 in 2023 to 456 in 2025 and has caused significant cash-flow issues,” he stated.
The scale and concentration of that increase had been wholly unexpected and the timing of it suggested there had been a material change in the department’s approach to such applications, generating an exceptional volume of refund claims that had not been anticipated.
Finelli stated the potential course-fee refunds amounted to €952,563, which was equivalent to 28.82 per cent of Erin College’s gross income of €3.3 million for the period of June 1st to December 31st, 2025. Agency-sourced payments on behalf of students had not remained safeguarded.
Evidence on behalf of Limerick Language Centre, registered at Kylemore House, 16 Upper Mallow Street, Limerick, was presented to the court by the company’s sole shareholder and director, Sharif Ahmed Sarker, Belmont Apartments, Gardiner Street, Dublin.
McGillicuddy said there were ongoing concerns in relation to the Limerick school and there had been several further complaints in relation to it since the issuing of proceedings.
Brett said while she would grant an interim injunction staying the departmental decisions relating to both colleges, she was going to insist on the appointment of an independent accountant to make further investigations into the refund fees of both companies and prepare a report for the court.
In the case of Erin College, the judge also ordered the setting up of a separate “untouchable” account into which the €74,000 which counsel stated was available for the repayment of refunds was to be lodged.
McGillicuddy said both his clients were insisting on an early hearing of the proceedings, preferably by mid-September at the latest.
