Language schools will lose €100 million worth of business and hundreds of jobs unless the Government scraps plans to impose tighter visa rules on Chinese students, it has been claimed.

The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and other cabinet ministers are expected to be lobbied on the issue this week when they lead a trade mission to China, beginning tomorrow.

From February, Chinese students coming to the Republic for English language courses will not be able to work part time unless their course lasts for a year.

However, none of the courses on offer to up to 20,000 Chinese students last that long, although many students take a series of courses depending on their progress.

The decision to tighten visa rules by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law reform has been taken following last year's enlargement of the EU.

The Chinese government has already warned students of the new rules. "Our competitors in the UK, Canada and Malta are doing so as well," said Ms Liz Hurley of the Bray, Co Wicklow-based language school PACE Language International.

The language teaching business is worth €320 million a year to the Republic and employs up to 3,000 people, said Ms Hurley, a member of MEI-RELS (Marketing English in Ireland - Recognised English Language Schools) lobby group.

Chinese students are particularly valuable since they stay four times longer and spend two-and-a-half times as much as other non-European students coming to study English.

"Ireland is the only country to be imposing these rules on part-time work," Ms Hurley told The Irish Times.