General Employment Permit Ireland

The job you wish to undertake in Ireland must have a minimum salary of €30,000.

You may also be eligible if your minimum annual salary is €27,000 and you are:

• A non-EEA student who graduated in the last 12 months from an Irish university, and you have a job offer for a role from the Critical Skills Occupations list
• A non-EEA student who has graduated in the last 12 months from a foreign university with a job offer for a an ICT professional from the Critical Skills Occupations list
• A job offer as a specialist language support and technical or sales support with fluency in a non-EEA language for certain enterprise companies
• A job offer as a job as a healthcare assistant (with a Level 5 QQI qualification or equivalent)
• A job offer as a home carer (with a Level 5 QQI qualification)

It is essential that you have a valid job offer in order to be eligible for a General Employment Permit.

The Labour Market Needs test is another crucial element of the General Employment Permit. The test will demonstrate that employers have already tried to fill a job vacancy with an Irish or EU citizen by advertising it in Ireland and the EU for a certain period of time.

The job must be advertised by the employer in the following outlets:

• The Department of Social Protection (DSP) and European Employment Services (EURES) for at least 4 weeks
• A national newspaper for at least 3 days
• A local newspaper or jobs website for 3 days

The advertisement must include key job info such as the annual salary, the number of hours work required, the description of the job, and the location.

Applications for a General Employment Permit must be submitted within 90 days of the job being advertised with the The Department of Social Protection and European Employment Services.

Exceptions to the Labour Market Needs Test include the following:

• The job is on the Critical Skills Occupations list
• The job has been recommended by Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland
• You are a carer for a person with exceptional medical needs and they are dependent on you
• The annual salary of the job is €64,000 per year or higher
• You’ve been made redundant whilst on a previous employment permit

The 50:50 rule dictates that eligible jobs for General Employment Permits must be with businesses that have at least 50% of a workforce from Ireland or the EU.

The exceptions are as follows:

• If a company has only registered in the past two years and has a letter of support from Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland
• For any employment permits that were granted prior to 1 October 2014
• If the employment permit applicant will be the sole employee of the company

Your application for the permit must be received at least 12 weeks before the proposed employment start date.

Applications are made online using the Employment Permits Online System (EPOS). Make sure you have access to a scanner or camera to create electronic copies of the required documentation to upload.

There are up to three stages your application will go through: received, processing, and review.

Once an application is submitted, along with the appropriate fees, the application is recorded and placed in the relevant processing queue depending on the Employer type (Trusted Partner or Standard). Applications are processed in date order by Employer type. You can keep track of processing times and make a specific inquiry online regarding your application.

The next stage is the processing stage, where your application is considered by a decision-maker. The processor may request additional information, which should be returned to them within 28 days. The processor will then either grant an application or refuse it for specific reasons.

If your application is refused and you wish to have it reviewed, you must do so within 28 days. The review will be considered by a separate and more senior official.

Here is a list of important information and documentation that will be needed to support your application for the General Employment Permit.

• Employer Details
  • This includes: Employer Registered Number (ERN) and Company Name Registered Number, Registered Name of Company Business/Trading Name, type of business (Sole Trader, Limited, etc.), nature of business (manufacturing, software, etc.), number of EEA and/or Swiss Nationals (including Irish) currently in employment, number of non-EEA Nationals currently in employment, confirmation if any redundancies have taken place in the last 6 months for the same role, and contact information for the employer (name, position in company, telephone number and email address)

• Employee Details
  • This includes: name, date of birth, gender, nationality, current address, telephone number, email address, and PPS number (if you already have one)
  • Passport number and expiry date – Passports must be valid for at least 6 months for a new employment permit and 3 months for renewal
  • If you are a resident in the State, you must confirm on what basis and provide your GNIB/Irish Resident’s Permit Pin, located on the back of your card
  • Confirm the relevant qualifications for the role
  • If you have had any previous visa permissions or employment in the State, provide those details to your application

• Details of Employment
  • This includes: the title of the job, related duties and responsibilities to the role, location of employment, proposed employment start date, details of qualifications/skills/knowledge required for the role, and details of qualifications/skills/knowledge or experience of the non-EEA national

• Pay Details
  • This includes: the total annual salary amount, hourly/weekly rates of pay, number of hours of work each week, details of any deductions from salary (confirm if deductions are taken for health insurance)

• Paying for Permit
  • This includes: the name of the person making the payment, telephone number, email address, and credit card details

• Agent Details (if applicable)
• Advertisements
  • Provide the Department of Social Protection Employment Services/EURES Employment Network Reference Number of the advertisement for the job, a copy of the advertisement for both the national newspaper and local paper, and copies of any other advertisements for the role

• Signature pages signed by employer, employee, and agent (if applicable)
• Copy of the employee’s passport, along with a passport-type photo of the employee
• A clear copy of the employee’s current immigration stamp (if resident in State) and visa (if applicable)
• Copy of contract signed by employer and employee
• If the application is supported by IDA/Enterprise Ireland for the 50:50 rule or the Labor Market Needs Test, documentation is needed to prove this

The fees for the permit must be paid by the applicant, whether that be the employer, employee, a connected person/contractor, or an authorized agent.

The fees for the General Employment Permit are as follows:

• Duration of up to 6 months: €500
• Duration of up to 2 years: €1,000

Fees for renewals of General Employment Permits:

• Duration of up to 6 months: €750
• Duration of up to 3 years: €1,500

If your application is refused or withdrawn, 90% of the fees will be refunded.

The fee for registering with immigration and getting your Irish Residence Permit (IRP) is €300.

If your application is successful and you live outside of Ireland with a visa-required passport, you will need to apply for a visa first in order to gain entry into Ireland. You must also ensure that you have your employment permit to show to the immigration officer at the border.

After entering Ireland, you must also remember to register with your local immigration office. You will then receive your Irish Residence Permit.

General Employment Permits are valid for two years at a time. Upon renewing your permit, it will be valid for another three years.

You can renew your permit via the Employment Permit Online System (EPOS). Applications for extensions should be made within 16 weeks of your permit’s expiry date.

After you’ve spent five years in Ireland on your General Employment Permit, you will be eligible to apply for Stamp 4, which will allow you to work in Ireland without an employment permit. You may also be eligible to apply for citizenship by naturalization after this time.