The Government's new work permit scheme for non-EU employees will put some third-level students at increased risk of exploitation by "rogue" employers, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) said today.
The USI claimed there were defects in the new system announced by Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin last week.
At present, students from outside the EU are entitled to take part-time jobs while studying. They may do so for up to 20 hours per week for any employers they choose.
But the new scheme would require non-EU students to obtain a work permit for each part-time job, the USI said. It claimed this would mean an "expensive, bureaucratic nightmare".
USI president Colm Hamrogue said: "For many non-EU students enrolled in Irish colleges, part-time jobs are an essential source of income. The Government must modify the new work permit scheme to protect the ability of these students to easily obtain part-time jobs while studying.
"It would be a great shame if international students of ordinary and moderate means were effectively disqualified from studying in Ireland because of unresolved flaws in the new work permit scheme," he said.