Where and how to apply

General Employment Permit

General Employment permits for employed workers are granted for jobs with an annual salary of at least €30,000, excluding bonuses.

Applications for jobs with annual pay of less than €30,000, for example where the specific occupation has broadly lower salaries, are considered on an exceptional basis in the following cases:

• Non-EEA students who have graduated in the last 12 months, from an Irish third level institution, and have been offered a graduate position from the Critical Skills Occupations ListSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••
• Non-EEA students who have graduated in the last 12 months, from an overseas third level institution, and have been offered a graduate position as an ICT professional from the Critical Skills Occupations List
• Applications for specialist language support and technical or sales support with a fluency in a non-EEA language (other than English) for companies who are supported by the State enterprise development agencies and the employment is in:
  • a customer service and sales role with relevant product knowledge
  • a specialist online digital marketing and sales role, or
  • a specialist language support and technical sales support role
• Employment as a boner (meat) when a quota exists has a minimum annual salary of €27,500
• Employment as a Horticulture Worker, Meat Processor Operative, or Dairy Farm Assistant when a quota exists has a minimum annual salary of €22,000

Non-EEA nationals with a stamp 1, 1A, 1G, 2, 2A or 3 residence permissionSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN••• may apply for a General Employment Permit provided the job is not on the list of ineligible categories of employment forSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN••• employment permits.

Employment permits are not granted for jobs listed as ineligibleSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••.

You or your future employer must complete the online employment permit application form via the Employment Permits Online System (EPOS) of the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation. A contract of employment signed by both parties must be submitted with each application. A general employment permit checklistSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN••• and step by step user guide are available to assist with your application.

Evidence of having completed the must be included in the application, with the exception of the following:

• job is listed on the Critical Skills Occupations List
• the waiving of the Labour Market Needs Test has been recommended by Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland (this applies to client companies of Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland only)
• job offer is for a carer of a person with exceptional medical needs, the non-EEA national has been providing care to the person before the application was made and that person has developed a high level of dependence on that non-EEA national
• job offer is in respect of an eligible employment with a minimum annual remuneration of €60,000 based on a 39 hour week (Employment permits cannot be issued in respect of employments, irrespective of remuneration, on the Ineligible Categories of Employment for an Employment Permit List)
• former permit holder who has been made redundant (this waiver only applies where the Department has been notified of the redundancy within four weeks of the date of dismissal)

To fulfil the Labour Market Needs Test the employer must advertise the vacancy on the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Employment ServicesSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••/EURES employment network for two weeks and additionally in a national newspaper and either a local newspaper or a job website (other than Department of Employment and Social Protection/EURES website) for three days.

The employment permit is granted only if there are no national or EEA/Swiss workers available to fill the position. It cannot be issued where this would result in 50% of the workforce employed in Ireland coming from outside the EEA/Switzerland, with the exception of:-

• a start-up company within 2 years of its establishment (i.e. registered as an employer with Revenue) and which are supported by Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland and which will contribute to the further development of employment in the State;
• where on the day on which the application is made the employer has no employees and the foreign national will be the sole employee.

Non-EEA nationals who are already lawfully resident in the State and hold a valid Certificate of Registration (GNIB card) with Stamps 1, 1A, 1G, 2, 2A and 3 immigration permissions, may apply to the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation for an Employment PermitSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••, if offered employment in an eligible occupation Search for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••apart from those on the Ineligible Categories of Employment for Employment Permits listSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••. The assessment of skills, labour market shortages and appropriateness of the salary level will be determined by that Department.

Current holders of an Employment Permit in respect of an exchange agreementSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN••• or an internship and holders of an Intra-Corporate Transfer (Intra-CT) Employment Permit undergoing a one-year training programme in the State, can apply for a Critical Skills Employment PermitSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN••• or a General Employment Permit from within the State and subject to the normal criteria.

Visa

Once your employment permit is issued, you must obtain a long-stay D-visa, unless you are visa-exemptSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••.

You must apply online.

• a full and accurate description of the employment, the terms and conditions, the hours of work each week and the proposed duration of the employment;
• documentary evidence that a labour market needs test has been undertaken;
• information on the relevant qualifications, skills and experience that you have for the position;
• details of your immigration history;
• a signed copy of the contract of employment;
• employer details of registration with Revenue Commissioners/Companies Registration Office as appropriate.

You must be directly paid and employed by your employer.

Your employer must be registered with the Office of the Revenue CommissionersSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN••• and with the Companies Registration Office and must operate his/her trading in Ireland.

If you have held a General Employment Permit for five consecutive years and have been working lawfully, you can apply for permission to reside and work in Ireland without an employment permit. This applies to those made redundant after five years working on a permit and to those still in employment.

More on the policy for five-year workersSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••.

If you live in Dublin City or county, you must register at Burgh Quay Immigration Registration Office. This office is managed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS).

If you live outside Dublin City or county, you must register at your local immigration registration officeSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••. These offices are managed by the Garda National Immigration BureauSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN••• (police) and located at Garda stations nationwide.

More on visasSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••

More on registration

You may only change employer if a new application for employment permit is made and granted.

Generally, a change of employer is not permitted within the first 12 months of employment in Ireland.

If you cease to be employed by the employer named on the permit during the period of validity of the permit, the original permit and the certified copy must be returned immediately to the Department of Business, Enterprise and InnovationSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••.

If you have worked with an employment permit for less than five years and are made redundant involuntarily, you should inform the Employment Permits Section on the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation and must inform the Garda National Immigration Bureau or local immigration officerSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••.
You will have up to six months to look for another job and to apply to the Department of Business, Enterprise and InnovationSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN••• for a new employment permit. No labour market test will be applied in this situation.

Employment permit for 5 years or more:
If you have worked with an employment permit for more than five years and are made redundant, you may be exempted from the requirement to hold an employment permit and should apply for a Stamp 4 residence. The Stamp 4 residence permit granted in this situation is subject to certain conditions and permissions and must be renewed annually. You can work without an employment permit, establish a business or be self-employed.

More on unemploymentSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••

More on the redundancy policy and provisions for five-year workersSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••

More on the policy for five-year workersSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••

The status is granted at the discretion of the Minister for Justice and Equality.

After eight years of legal residence in Ireland, you may apply for leave to remain Without Condition As To Time (WCATTSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••).

More on long-term residenceSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••

More on citizenship