Critical Skills Employment Permit
The Critical Skills Employment Permit is intended for highly-skilled foreign citizens who want to come to Ireland to work. Find out if you qualify.
Call us today at +1 844 290 6312 for professional assistance with your application.
Page Contents:
- What is the Critical Skills Employment Permit?
- What are the eligibility requirements for the Critical Skills Employment Permit?
- What types of jobs are on the Highly Skilled Occupations List?
- How can I apply for the Critical Skills Employment Permit?
- How much does the Critical Skills Employment Permit cost?
- How can IAS help?
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Critical Skills Employment Permit?
The Critical Skills Employment Permit is a type of Irish work permit intended for non-EEA citizens who want to come to Ireland to work in a position placed on the Critically Skills Occupations List. Occupations on this list are considered to be beneficial to the future economic growth of Ireland and therefore are open to foreign nationals who can fill in the gap in the Irish labor market.
To be able to apply for the Critical Skills Work Permit you have to be qualified to work in an occupation that has been deemed highly skilled and that is on the Critical Skills Occupation List or Irish Skills Shortage List. Since these occupations are very much needed and in shortage in Ireland, highly-skilled workers can be hired by Irish employers without the employer needing to pass a Labour Market Needs Test.
If your application is approved, you will be able to come to Ireland and remain there for 2 years initially. After that you will be able to apply for Stamp 4, allowing you to stay in Ireland for up to 5 years. Eventually, you will have the right to submit your application for permanent residency in Ireland. This is why this permit is highly sought-after.
If you are a citizen of an EU/EEA country, you can come to Ireland to work without having to obtain a visa.
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What are the eligibility requirements for the Critical Skills Employment Permit?
To qualify for the Critical Skills Employment Permit, you have to either:
- Be working in a profession that has been included on the Critical Skills Occupations List and have a minimum annual salary of at least €32,000
- Be working in any other profession and have an annual salary of at least €64,000.
Keep in mind that not all occupations are eligible for the Critical Skills Employment Permit. Examples of professions that can apply for it include chemists, nurses, architects, midwives, engineers, and biologists. There are, however, other jobs that qualify too. Talk to our lawyers and they will determine whether your area of expertise and qualifications make you eligible for the Critical Skills Employment Permit.
There are also criteria that your job offer in Ireland has to meet for you to be able to obtain the Critical Skills Employment Permit. These are:
- The employer you are supposed to be working for in Ireland is registered with Revenue and the Companies Registration Office and is trading in Ireland
- Your job offer is for at least two years
- You will be paid directly by the Irish employer
In addition to that, at least 50% of the workforce at the Irish company you plan to work for have to be EEA nationals. Otherwise, you cannot receive the Critical Skilled Employment Permit. Non-EEA nationals who are in Ireland under a 1, 1A, 2, 2A, or 3 immigration stamp are also eligible for this employment permit if they have been offered a position eligible under the Highly Skilled Occupations List.
What types of jobs are on the Highly Skilled Occupations List?
The Highly Skilled Occupations List is can be found on the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment (DETE) Irish government website. Jobs on this list include the following:
- Site Managers
- ICT Professionals who work in information technology or as telecommunications directors
- Senior health services and public health managers and directors
- Chemical scientists, medical laboratory scientists, biologists, biochemists, and physical scientists
- Engineers
- IT specialists, IT program managers, software development professionals, web designers, and other ICT professionals
- Health professionals (including medical practitioners, pharmacists, radiographers, audiologists, and others)
- Orthoptists
- Registered nurses and midwives (must have a third level degree or a diploma that is accepted by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland)
- Teaching and Educational Professionals
- Business, Research, and Administrative Professionals
- Architects
- Social Workers
- Quality and Regulatory Professionals
- 2D or 3D animators or people who work in design animation
- Health Associate Professionals like paramedics, prosthetists, etc
- High-performance coaches and directors
- Business sales executives and international marketing experts
Further information regarding the roles on the Occupations List can be found on the DETE website along with more information regarding the applicant’s necessary relevant qualifications, skills, and work experience for each position.
How can I apply for the Critical Skills Employment Permit?
The application process for the Critical Skills Employment Permit starts with you having to complete the online application form. There, you have to provide details of your proposed employment in Ireland. Make sure to state what your salary will be and when you expect to start working. You also have to provide information about your work experience and qualifications.
Once you submit the form, your application will be placed in the processing queue. The waiting time for the decisions varies depending on how complex each case is. Nevertheless, most applications are processed within 6 to 8 weeks.
If you forget to include some of the required information or evidence, immigration officials will most likely request that you provide it. Then you will have 28 days to submit it.
You should submit your application at least 12 weeks before you plan to come to Ireland. This way you will allow enough time for processing and for any corrections.
If your application is approved, you will have the right to come to Ireland to work and remain there for 2 years. If your application is unsuccessful, you will be issued a letter explaining the reasons for the refusal.
You have to be aware of the fact that after your application for the Critical Skills Employment Permit is approved, you might also have to apply for a Long Stay ‘D’ Visa before arriving in Ireland. There are certain non-EEA countries that have visa agreements with Ireland. If you are a citizen of one of them, you can enter Ireland without a visa. Nevertheless, if you are coming from any other non-EEA country, you need to have a visa at the time of arriving at the Irish border. Our lawyers can analyse your situation and tell you whether or not you need a visa.
How much does the Critical Skills Employment Permit cost?
To obtain the Critical Skills Employment Permit you have to pay the following fees:
- €1,000 for the processing of your application
- €300 for the Certificate of Registration that you have to get if your application is successful.
The fee for the processing of the application for the Critical Skills Employment Permit is partially refundable. If your application is unsuccessful, you will receive 90% of this amount back.
It is possible to have a third party pay for your application processing fee but, if you are requesting a refund, only you can receive it.
Depending on your circumstances there might be additional fees you have to pay. For example, if your documents were issued in a language other than English, you need to have them translated by an official translator.
How can IAS help?
At IAS, we have a team of experienced immigration lawyers who have helped many clients successfully apply for visas to Ireland, including the Critical Skills Employment Permit. They can guide you through each step of the application process, making sure that you correctly complete all the forms and that you submit all the evidence that might be required.
Understanding all the requirements for the Critical Skills Employment Permit can be difficult but your immigration lawyer can explain to you in detail what is expected from you. They will also answer all your questions and clear any doubts you might have.
Thanks to the help of an immigration lawyer you can maximize the chances of your application being approved.
Call us today at +1 844 290 6312 to find out more about how we can help.
Last modified on September 14th, 2023 at 8:19 am
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Frequently Asked Questions
Generally, if you are coming to Ireland on the Critical Skills Employment Permit, you are expected to stay with the same employer for at least 12 months. After this period, you are allowed to look for a different job opportunity and change employers.
If you would like to change employers sooner than after the 12 months, you can only do so if there are unforeseen, exceptional circumstances.
If you lose your job after you come to Ireland on the Critical Skills Employment Permit, you have to inform the Employment Permits Section of the Department of Business, Enterprise, and Innovation within four weeks of you being made redundant.
You will then be given up to 6 months to look for another job in Ireland. If you fail to find employment within these 6 months, you will have to get in touch with immigration authorities or your local immigration officer. They will establish your immigration status will be and decide whether or not you can stay in the country.
If you are currently in Ireland on the Critical Skills Employment Permit and you lost your job, get in touch with our lawyers. They can offer professional legal advice to help you find a solution.
Holders of the Critical Skills Employment Permit have the right to apply for family reunification to bring their spouse or civil partner, as well as minor dependent children to Ireland. If their application is approved, their relatives will receive Stamp 1G on their passports. Then, after they arrive in Ireland, they will have to apply for a Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit. They can do that for free. Once they obtain it, they will have the right to work and study in Ireland.
All foreign citizens applying for the Critical Skills Employment Permit have to pay €1,000 for the processing of their Critical Skills Employment Permit application. This fee is partially refundable. That means that, if your application is refused, you will receive 90% of what you paid.
If your application is approved, you will also have to pay €300 for the Certificate of Registration. You will only have to make this payment after you receive a positive decision regarding your application, however.
There might also be other fees you have to pay, for example, fees for professional translation of documents that were issued in a language other than English.