An Indian tech graduate has warned students against moving to Ireland on education loans, saying the odds of securing a job and a long-term visa after graduation are stacked heavily against non-EU students.
In a Reddit post titled ‘The reality of Indians in Ireland: Do not move here with a student loan’, the OP shared that he completed a Master’s in Computer Science from the University of Galway in 2025 after studying in the country for several years. “Out of a batch of around 130 graduates, only about 15 managed to secure jobs in tech. The rest are working in supermarkets, restaurants, bars, and other non-tech roles,” he claimed.
The Redditor said that he was able to land a role only because of nearly 5 years of experience in the UK and the UAE before pursuing a master’s degree. Even then, the OP said that the job does not offer visa sponsorship. “To my knowledge, none of the 15 graduates who found tech jobs have visa sponsorship either,” the post stated.
The OP went on to say that more than 500 graduates from the same programme across previous years have already been forced to return to India after their visas expired. Many, he said, are still struggling to repay education loans. The situation has worsened after the Irish government increased the minimum salary threshold required for work visa sponsorship, making employers even more reluctant to hire non-EU candidates, he claimed.
“The situation is extremely difficult. If you are coming here after taking a student loan, you are at a very high risk of defaulting. If your parents are co-sponsors, you may be putting their financial security at risk during their retirement years,” the OP warned.
He also stated that “over 95% of non-EU graduates are forced to leave Ireland within 3 years” and urged prospective students to think carefully before making the move.
(Also Read: Indian woman in Ireland rethinks move, seeks advice on returning home: ‘Hard to connect with people’)
Social media reactions
The post caught the attention of several users, many of whom echoed similar concerns.
“When going abroad for studies ANYWHERE don’t expect a job, and plan for returning to country of origin. This goes for anyone in every field from everywhere (apart from EU residents studying in other EU countries and other such exceptions). Sure its possible, and you might be one of the lucky ones, but that’s not worth gambling your financial future on. Absolutely try it, but don’t take out loans you couldn’t otherwise pay back. Plus, you won’t enjoy your time there as much if you start stressing about whether or not you can get a job from the start,” one user wrote.
“Non EU students will find it extremely difficult to get job as OP has stated you should have 5+ years of experience. The reality in Uk is that the government has raised the earning threshold to qualify for a visa once you finish your studies. Ireland is a very small market and why would any employer take a foreign student and have to pay the sponsorship fees when they can easily find a local to do the same job,” commented another.
“Sadly this is same for US. I graduated last year and have been looking for a job since then,” shared a third user.
“Ireland is a very tiny market. When studying in the EU or UK, you should always target schools which have global recognition or are considered very prestigious across the continent. UoG is only good within Ireland,” wrote another.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)