Who it’s for
You need a job offer of at least two years from an employer registered with Revenue and trading in Ireland. Then there are two routes:
- Jobs on the Critical Skills Occupations List: a relevant degree or higher and a salary of at least €40,904, or €36,848 if you received your qualification in the last 12 months.
- Most other jobs: a salary of at least €68,911, as long as the job isn’t on the Ineligible List of Occupations. Here you need either a relevant degree or the necessary experience.
Nurses and midwives need a qualification accepted by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland. Public-sector roles covered by a public pay agreement are assessed at the agreed pay rate. Only basic salary and qualifying health insurance payments count towards the threshold.
Roles we regularly handle
Over the years we’ve obtained Critical Skills permits for, among others:
- Software developers and ICT professionals
- Mechanical, electrical and process engineers
- Data analytics professionals and IT business analysts
- Chartered accountants
- Architects and quantity surveyors
- Chemical scientists
If your role isn’t on that list, it may still qualify. The free assessment will tell you.
Why employers and applicants prefer it
- No Labour Market Needs Test, because these skills are in short supply.
- Family can apply to join you straight away through Immigration Service Delivery. Once here, your spouse or partner can apply for a Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit and work in any job.
- A route to Stamp 4. You can apply to the Department of Justice for Stamp 4 from 21 months into your permit, three months before the two-year mark, because decisions take several months. Stamp 4 lets you live and work in Ireland without an employment permit. After five years’ residence you can apply for long-term residence.
The 50:50 rule
When you apply, at least half of the employer’s staff must be EEA nationals. Start-ups less than two years old that are supported by Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland can be exempt.
Fees
The government fee is €1,000. If the application is refused, 90% is refunded.
Changing employer
You’re expected to stay with your first employer for at least nine months. After that you can move to another job in the same broad occupation group, as long as your permit has at least two months left. The new job can’t start until the permit has been reissued. Earlier moves are only possible in exceptional cases, such as redundancy, where you must tell the Department within four weeks.
How we help
- We check your job, salary and qualifications against the current list before you or your employer pays anything.
- We prepare the application on Employment Permits Online, with every document checked.
- We deal with the Department’s queries and follow up if a decision is delayed.
- When the time comes, we help with family reunification and the move to Stamp 4.