Employment Permits in Galway
7,572 employment permits have been issued for jobs in Galwaysince 2019, based on Ireland’s official Employment Permits register from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE).
7,572
Permits issued (2019–2026)
9%
Refusal rate, all years
611
Issued in 2026 (-45% YoY)
3.9%
Share of national total, 2026
What this data shows
These figures count employment permits granted for roles based in Galway: work authorisation for non-EEA nationals under Ireland’s employment permit system. They don’t include EU/EEA or UK citizens, who need no permit to work in Ireland, and they don’t capture people who moved to Galway through other visa routes (study, family reunification, international protection). Think of it as a proxy for how much non-EEA hiring is actually happening in Galway, not total immigration into the county.
Year by year
| Year | Issued | Refused | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 493 | 130 | 79.1% |
| 2020 | 590 | 50 | 92.2% |
| 2021 | 678 | 62 | 91.6% |
| 2022 | 1,440 | 128 | 91.8% |
| 2023 | 1,387 | 85 | 94.2% |
| 2024 | 1,269 | 85 | 93.7% |
| 2025 | 1,104 | 121 | 90.1% |
| 2026 | 611 | 87 | 87.5% |
Finding a visa-sponsored job in Galway
Permit volume tells you where non-EEA hiring already happens, not which specific employers are hiring right now. For that, search live listings filtered to Galway below, or check the companies directory to see which employers based there have a track record of sponsorship.