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Working in Ireland
If you are an Irish or a European citizen, you have an automatic right to live and work in Ireland. If you are not from the European Union or from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you will likely need a special employment permit to work in Ireland. You will also need to register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau for permission to live in Ireland.
The Department of Business, Enterprise & Innovation oversees the Employment Permits system. You can make an application online, and they offer a user guide for this application process. There are nine different forms of employment permits a non-EEA national can apply for which can be found on the Department of Jobs Enterprise & Innovation (DBEI) website. General Employment Permits and Critical Skills Permits are the most common forms of employment permits.
If you are not from Europe but have been granted a separate right of residence in the State from the Minister of Justice you may be exempt from needing an employment permit. The right to residence might be from being a spouse/civil partner of an Irish/EEA national, being the parent of an Irish citizen child, or being granted humanitarian leave to remain in the State.
General Employment Permits
All occupations are eligible under the General Employments Permit unless specifically excluded under the list of Ineligible Categories of Employment for Employment Permits. As with most employment permits, a job offer is required with a salary offer of €30,000. Applications cost €1,000 with €900 of this returnable if the application is unsuccessful.
If successful the non-EEA national will be issued with an employment permit for a period of two years, which can be renewed for a further three years. A non-EEA national may apply for long-term residency after being in possession of an employment permit for five years. An employee may have a right of residence if they have become redundant during their term of employment. More information can be found on the DBEI website.
Critical Skills Employment Permits
Formerly the Green Card employment permit, the Critical Skills Employment Permit generally covers highly skilled occupations. In order to qualify for a Critical Skills permit an employee must be offered a minimum salary of €30,000 from an occupation in the Highly Skilled Eligible Occupations List or a minimum salary of €60,000 from an occupation not on the Ineligible Categories of Employment List. Employers are not required to complete a labour market test. Applications cost €1,000 with €900 of this returnable if unsuccessful.
If successful the non-EEA national will be issued with a Critical Skills Employment Permit for two years and may then request a support letter to apply for a Stamp 4.
For further detailed information please contact our Immigration Helpline.