Frequently Asked Questions

The Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) is designed for highly skilled workers in occupations that are in short supply in Ireland. It offers the fastest path to Stamp 4 (permanent residency equivalent) — just 2 years — and your spouse automatically gets work rights on Stamp 1G. You need a minimum salary of €40,904 if your role is on the Critical Skills Occupation List, or €68,911 for any other eligible role.

The General Employment Permit (GEP) covers most other occupations not on the Ineligible List. The minimum salary is €36,605. It takes 5 years (instead of 2) to reach Stamp 4, and your spouse does not automatically get work rights — they need their own permit. The employer must also conduct a Labour Market Needs Test (LMNT).

The CSOL is maintained by the Department of Enterprise and lists occupations in high demand — software developers, data scientists, engineers, doctors, certain financial roles, etc. If your job is on this list, you qualify for the Critical Skills permit at the lower €40,904 threshold. The list is reviewed periodically and updated based on labour market needs.

The Ineligible Occupations List includes roles where there is no demonstrated shortage — for example, general admin/clerical, retail sales, and most elementary occupations. If your role is on this list, you cannot get a General Employment Permit for it. The Critical Skills permit at the €68,911 threshold can bypass this restriction.

Yes. The General Employment Permit does not require a degree. The Critical Skills permit at the high salary threshold (€68,911+) also does not require a degree, though relevant experience is expected. Only the lower-threshold CSEP (€40,904) requires a relevant degree.

From March 2026: General Employment Permit is €36,605/year. Critical Skills (CSOL role with degree) is €40,904. Critical Skills (any role, no CSOL needed) is €68,911. There are reduced thresholds for recent graduates and specific sectors like healthcare and horticulture.

The application fee is €1,000 for permits up to 2 years and €500 for 6-month permits. This is typically split 90/10 between employer and employee, but arrangements vary. If refused, 90% is refunded.

Only for General Employment Permits. The employer must advertise the role publicly (on Jobs Ireland/EURES for 28 days and in local/national media) to demonstrate no suitable EEA candidate is available. Critical Skills permits are exempt from the LMNT.

As of mid-2026: Critical Skills permits are processed in 3–5 weeks (1–2 weeks for Trusted Partner employers). General Employment Permits take roughly 8–10 weeks. The full timeline from job offer to starting work is typically 4–6 months when you factor in the LMNT, application, and visa/IRP steps.

Either the employer or the employee can submit the application through the Employment Permits Online System (EPOS). In practice, most employers handle the submission. Both parties must sign the application form.

Yes. You must have a genuine job offer from an Irish employer before applying. The employer must be registered with Revenue and trading in Ireland. You cannot apply speculatively.

Yes, if you are already legally in Ireland (e.g., on a student visa, visitor visa, or another valid immigration permission). The permit itself does not require you to be outside Ireland.

If you hold a Critical Skills Employment Permit, your spouse/partner can apply for Stamp 1G, which lets them work without their own permit. General Employment Permit holders' spouses do NOT automatically get work rights — they need to apply for their own permit.

After 12 months on your current permit, you can apply for a new permit with a different employer without the need for an LMNT (for General permits). You must have a new job offer before switching. You cannot work for the new employer until the new permit is granted.

Critical Skills permit holders can apply for Stamp 4 after 2 years. General Employment Permit holders after 5 years of continuous employment. Stamp 4 lets you work without a permit and is renewable indefinitely.

After 5 years of legal residence in Ireland (including 1 continuous year before application), you can apply for citizenship by naturalisation. Time on a work permit counts toward this. Processing currently takes 12–18 months.

Your permit is tied to your employer. If you are made redundant or terminated, you should apply for a new permit with a new employer as soon as possible. You may be able to use a Reactivation Employment Permit if your previous permit lapsed. Contact your immigration solicitor and INIS promptly.

All company and permit data comes directly from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE). They publish annual statistics on every employment permit issued, broken down by company, sector, county, and nationality. We process this data to make it searchable.

Job listings are fetched daily from multiple sources including Indeed, Google Jobs, Jobs.ie, and others. We match listings to companies in our permit database to highlight visa-sponsoring employers.

No. VisaJobs.ie is an independent tool. Always verify information with official sources: enterprise.gov.ie for permits and irishimmigration.ie for visa/immigration queries.