Employment Permits

Disclaimer: Official policy and legislation regarding immigration continually changes. This information is meant to be used as a guide only. Please refer to the Irish Immigration website for the latest and most up to date information. 

Please be aware that this is only meant to be used as a guide. The employment permits scheme is governed by the Employment Permits Acts 2003–2014. You can access free immigration legal advice through the voluntary service Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC). The FLAC website provides details of their telephone and referral services, Legal Advice Centres, and online legal information.

Tips

• Could you have the right to be an Irish citizen? You may be an Irish citizen, or entitled to citizenship, based on when and where you, your parents or your grandparents/great-grandparents were born – or for how long your parents lived in Ireland before your birth. Check whether you could be an Irish citizen by birth or descent.
• Support for migrants:
  • Crosscare Migrant Project is a Dublin based NGO providing information and advocacy support to Irish emigrants and people who have moved to Ireland.
  • Migrants Rights Centre Ireland is is a national organisation working with migrants and their families in Ireland to promote justice, empowerment and equality.
  • Immigrant Council of Ireland is a human rights organisation and Independent Law Centre. We support and advocate for the rights of immigrants and their families.

The following employment permits are available in the Republic of Ireland (clicking on the link will take you directly to the relevant section):

• EU/EEA/Swiss Nationals
• UK Citizens
• Other Countries 
  • General Employment Permit
  • Critical Skills Employment Permit
  • Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit
  • Reactivation Employment Permit
  • Contract for Services Employment Permit
  • Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permit
  • Internship Employment Permit
  • Sport and Cultural Employment Permit
• Other working schemes:
  • Atypical Working Scheme
  • Working Holiday Programme
  • Students Working in Ireland
  • Third Level Graduate Programme
• Arriving in Ireland With an Employment Permit or on Other Employment Schemes

Additional Information

• The Crosscare Migrant Project have put together a guide to the rights of migrants in Ireland. This helpful summary guide provides guidance based on your category of residence stamp.
• Further guidance about employment permits can be found here on the Citizens Information website and on the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation website.
• Sometimes the Irish government launches pilot schemes to address immediate labour shortages. There are usually only a limited quota of permits available for a period of time. Keep up to date with the latest employment permit updates on the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation Latest Updates web page.
• You will need to apply for your employment permit via the Employment Permits Online System.
• To assist you in navigating the Employment Permits Online System, refer to the User Guide on the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation website.

EU/EEA/Swiss Nationals

EU/EEA/Swiss Nationals have the right to stay in Ireland with their family members for up to 3 months. However, if you plan to stay more than 3 months, you must either:

• Be engaged in economic activity (employed or self employed) or
• Have sufficient resources and sickness insurance to ensure that you do not become a burden on the social services of Ireland or
• Be enrolled as a student or vocational trainee or
• Be a family member of a Union citizen in one of the previous categories.

You do not need an Irish employment permit or residence card to live in Ireland and are entitled to be treated the same as Irish workers. Your family, whatever their nationality, also have the right to live with you in Ireland. Your qualifying family member is defined as your spouse, civil partner, children under 21 and other children who are dependent on you and their spouses or civil partners, your parents and your spouse or civil partner’s parents, if they are also dependent on you. You can find more information about these EU Treaty Rights on the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service website.

If your family members are not nationals of the EEA, they will need to apply for residence cards and may also need entry visas. There is no fee for the residence card. They will also need to register with immigration and get a registration certificate called an Irish Residence Permit (IRP). As dependants of an EEA citizen, they will be exempt from the fee.

Tips

• Learn more about the residence rights of EU/EEA nationals in Ireland.
• The Immigrant Council of Ireland provides information on family reunification for family members of EU citizens.

UK Citizens

The United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January 2020. Consequently, citizens no longer have EU Treaty Rights. However, the UK and Ireland have an agreement called the Common Travel Area (CTA) which is separate from EU law. Both governments have agreed that this will continue. British citizens living in Ireland have many of the same rights and entitlements as an Irish citizen, a summary of UK citizens residence rights in Ireland can be found on the Citizens Information website. British citizens can:

• Enter Ireland without a visa
• Travel between the UK and Ireland
• Work without an employment permit
• Access the public healthcare system
• Vote in general elections

There is no automatic entitlement to family reunification. If a non-EEA national wishes to join a UK national family member in Ireland, then UK nationals are permitted to act as a sponsor of such applications if they meet the eligibility criteria. However, meeting the eligibility criteria to apply for this scheme does not guarantee the application will be granted. To apply under this scheme, the non-EEA family member must apply for a Visa or preclearance before travelling to Ireland. Full details of this scheme can be found on the Irish Immigration webpage Joining your UK national family member.

Other Countries

If you are from outside the EU/EEA or Switzerland, you need a work permit to live and work in Ireland. These can be very difficult to obtain depending on your circumstances. I suggest that you start by checking the list of occupations that are ineligible for an employment permit, because you will not get an employment permit for these jobs. If you are in Ireland on the Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit Scheme and the Reactivation Employment Permit Scheme, then foreign nationals are eligible to undertake any employment on this list, provided it does not take place in a domestic setting.

When you apply for a work permit, you will be required to pay a fee.

General Employment Permit

The General Employment Permits are available for occupations with an annual salary of €30,000 or more. It assumes all occupations to be eligible unless it is on the Ineligible List of Occupations for Employment Permits. There are exceptional cases where an annual pay of €27,000 may be considered which are listed here. However, your annual pay must be at least €30,000 when applying for a renewal. Only in exceptional cases will jobs earning less than this be considered. Normally, a labour market needs test is required. After 12 months of working in Ireland, General Employment Permit holders can apply for their family members to join them.

Tips

• Read the full details, requirements, and application process for the General Employment Permit here.
• Use the General Employment Permit Checklist to assist you in your application process.

Critical Skills Employment Permit

The Critical Skills Employment Permit aims to attract highly skilled people and is available for those in eligible occupations on the Critical Skills Occupations List with an annual remuneration of over €64,000. This permit is also available for occupations on the Critical Skills Occupations List that pay an annual salary of at least €32,000. There is no requirement for a labour market needs test, however, you must secure a 2 year job offer. If you decide to change jobs, you can do so after a minimum of 12 months, but you will need to submit a new application for an employment permit.

Critical Skills Employment Permit holders can apply for immediate family re-unification. This means that spouses and partners of Critical Skills employment permit holders can enjoy immediate and full access to work in Ireland. Dependent children of permit holders may also come to Ireland. Learn more about the Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit below and here on the INIS website.

Tips

• Read the full details, requirements, and application process for the Critical Skills Employment Permit here.
• Use the Critical Skills Employment Permit Checklist to assist you in your application process.
• If you have a spouse or de facto partner that will be joining you, this FAQ guide provides more information.

Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit

The Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit applies to spouses, recognised partners, civil partners and dependants of holders of Critical Skills Employment Permits or researchers under a hosting agreement. In order to take up employment in Ireland they must have a job offer and then apply for a Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit. The application is currently free of charge and there is no requirement for a labour market needs test.

Tips

• Read the full details, requirements, and application process for the Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit here.

Reactivation Employment Permit

A Reactivation Employment Permit allows foreign nationals who entered Ireland on a valid employment permit but who fell out of the system through no fault of their own, or have been badly treated or exploited in the workplace, to work again.

Tips

• Read the full details, requirements, fees, and application process for the Reactivation Employment Permit here.

Contract for Services Employment Permit

Where a Contractor has secured a contract to provide services to an Irish entity on a contract for services basis, to facilitate the transfer of non-EEA employees to work on the Irish contract in Ireland their foreign employees can apply for a Contract for Services Employment Permit. These permits allow the transfer of non-EEA employees to work on an Irish contract in Ireland while remaining on an employment contract outside the State. However, to be eligible for this work permit the employee must have been working with the Contractor for a minimum of six months. Generally, a labour market needs test is required.

Tips

• Read the full details, requirements, fees and application process for the Contract for Services Employment Permit here.

Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permit

The Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permit allows senior management, key personnel and trainees working in an overseas branch of a multinational company to transfer to the Irish branch. They must be earning at least €40,000 a year (trainees must be earning at least €30,000 a year) and have been working for the company for a minimum of 12 months. The Ineligible List of Occupations for Employment Permits does not apply to Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permits.

If the transfer is only short-term up to 3 months, then you should consider applying for the Atypical Working Scheme instead.

 Tips

• Read the full details, requirements, fees, and application process for the Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permit here.
• Use the Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permit Checklist to assist you in your application process.

 

Internship Employment Permit

The Internship Employment Permit is available to non-EEA national full-time students who are enrolled in a third-level institution, such as a university or college, outside Ireland and have a work experience job offer in the State. There is eligibility criteria that you must meet, such as, your pay must be at least National Minimum Wage, the role must be on the Critical Skills Occupations List and the study you are enrolled in must be related. At the end of your internship you must leave Ireland and return to your study.

Under the Internship Employment Permit, your dependants, civil partners and spouses are not eligible for a Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit and must apply for a separate employment permit in their own right. That means that they must be eligible for one of the employment permits listed in this post, unless they have their own right to live and work in Ireland.

Tips

• Read the full details, requirements, fees, and application process for the Internship Employment Permit here.

Sport and Cultural Employment Permit

The Sport and Cultural Employment Permit is for employment in Ireland that relates to the development, operation and capacity of sporting and cultural activities. There is eligibility requirements that must be met, such as, the salary must be at least the National Minimum Wage.

Under the Sport and Cultural Employment Permit, your dependants, civil partners and spouses are not eligible for a Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit and must apply for a separate employment permit in their own right. That means that they must be eligible for one of the employment permits listed in this post, unless they have their own right to live and work in Ireland.

 Tips

• Read the full details, requirements, fees, and application process for the Sport and Cultural Employment Permit here.

 

Exchange Agreement Employment Permit

Ireland has entered into International reciprocal agreements to support the exchange of foreign nationals. Examples of these programmes are: the Fulbright Program for researchers and academics; AIESEC run by students and recent higher education graduates interested in world issues, leadership and management; the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE) in Architecture, Engineering, Information Technology or the Sciences.

 Tips

• Read the full details, requirements, fees, and application process for the Exchange Agreement Employment Permit here.

Other Working Schemes

Atypical Working Scheme

The Atypical Working Scheme allows non-EEA nationals to undertake certain short-term contract work in eligible roles which are not covered by the Employment Permits listed above. Under the Scheme, non-EEA nationals, such as locum doctors or those on short-term contracts for a company, are permitted to work in Ireland.

Under the Atypical Working Scheme, your dependants, civil partners and spouses are not eligible for a Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit and must apply for a separate employment permit in their own right. That means that they must be eligible for one of the employment permits listed in this post, unless they have their own right to live and work in Ireland.

 Tips

• Read the full details, requirements, fees, and application process for the Atypical Work Scheme here.

Working Holiday Programme

Ireland has reciprocal working holiday agreements set up with other countries to allow for the mutual exchange of young workers and graduates for defined periods. To see the most up to date list of countries that are involved in this exchange, see the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Working Holiday Arrangements web page. On this page you will find a list of all of the countries that Ireland have an agreement with. If you are a citizen of one of these countries, then follow the link to the appropriate embassy website for further details of eligibility, requirements and application process. You also need to have sufficient funds to support yourself whilst looking for work.

 Tips

• Read the full list of participating countries, the age limits, and application process for the Working Holiday Programme here.

Students Working in Ireland

Non-EU/EEA students are not entitled to Irish social welfare, but those with a Stamp 2 are allowed to work up to 20 hours a week during term time. During the holiday periods May to August and from 15 December to 15 January, you can work up to 40 hours a week. Students with stamp 2A permission are not allowed to work. Read more about Student Visa’s here.

Third Level Graduate Programme

The Third Level Graduate Programme is only for non-EEA graduates who hold a Stamp 2, have completed their studies in Ireland, and have been awarded a qualification at Level 8 or above of the National Framework of Qualifications by a recognised Irish awarding body. This programmes aim is to enable eligible graduates to remain on after their studies on a Stamp 1G to meet identified skills and language gaps in the Irish economy. The purpose of this programme is to enable graduates to secure graduate level employment and apply for either a general employment permit, a critical skills employment permit or a research hosting agreement. This programme grants permission to live in Ireland for up to 12 months, and in some cases up to 24 months.

 Tips

• Read the immigration rules policy for the Third Level Graduate Programme here and how to apply on the INIS website.

Arriving in Ireland With an Employment Permit or on Other Employment Schemes

All non-EU/EEA citizens, whether visa-required or not, are subject to ordinary immigration controls when they arrive in the country. Although you may have successfully obtained a work permit, you can still be refused entry by the Irish immigration officials when you arrive. Make sure that you have all of your documents ready and easily accessible as you go through immigration. As well as your work permit, you should also have all of the documents that you submitted as part of your permit application.

Please note:

• The Immigration Officer makes the decision on who is allowed to enter Ireland.
• They will stamp your passport for either one or three months. This means that you must register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau within the time limit stamped on the passport if you plan to stay longer.

Registering with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB)

In order to register, you need to visit your local immigration registration office and ask for the registration officer as soon as possible following your arrival in Ireland. Refer to the Garda webite to find your closest GNIB.

You will need to provide the following information:

• Your passport
• Your nationality, how and when you acquired it and your previous nationality (if any)
• Birth certificate
• Your profession or occupation
• Documentation supporting your residence permission, e.g. your work permit.
• Your Irish employment contract
• Your Irish address
• The address where you last lived outside the State
• A credit/debit card for paying the fee.

The registration officer will also take your fingerprints, signature, and photo and may ask for further details.

On successful completion of your GNIB registration you will be issued with an Irish Residence Permit (IRP), a credit card sized plastic card. These cards are evidence that you are legally a resident in Ireland. It includes:

• Your name, photo, date of birth and registration number
• A brief description of your immigration permission (including your stamp number)
• A microchip with a copy of your photo, fingerprints and personal details