Staff and students at a primary school in Bray, Co Wicklow are said to be "absolutely thrilled" after a 10-year-old pupil at the school has been allowed stay in Ireland.
Eric Zhi Ying Mei Xue had been facing deportation.
He was born in Ireland but is not a citizen - however, he has also never lived anywhere else.
After a deportation order was issued, a petition was signed by over 67,000 people calling for the decision to be reversed.
St Cronan’s School in Bray had argued that if Eric was forced to go to China – where his mother is from – he would have no access to the country’s health or education systems as he is not a Chinese citizen either.
The case prompted an intervention from Health Minister Simon Harris, who is a local TD.
Minister Harris yesterday welcomed the "great news" that the schoolboy is now being allowed to stay, adding: "Eric is a valued member of our community and Bray is his home. Delighted."
'Just fantastic'
Eric's principal at St Cronan's, Maeve Tierney, said it was a special moment when she and Eric's mother were able to deliver the news to the schoolboy yesterday.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, she explained: "We had the great experience of going to get Eric, because of course he was in school at the time.
"I brought him into the office, and it was just fantastic to be there, to be present - I was very privileged to just see his response to that news.
"His response was 'mum, does that mean I'm going to be like everybody else in my class now?'"
She added: "Sure [his classmates] are thrilled for him.
"The idea that their classmate was going to be sent to another country where he had never been was absolutely appalling.
"It was great to be able to tell them that news yesterday."
Mrs Tierney suggested that these sorts of immigration issues are often "abstract" for people, but this case impacted members of the school community as they saw the law playing out with someone they knew.
She suggested: "[This case] has really, really galvinised action.
"It's really great to see that there is some discussion about the undocumented children that are still there."
