Irish Work Visas from Canada
If you are a citizen of Canada and you want to come to Ireland to work, you need to obtain a Work Visa. There are several Irish employment permits you can be eligible for, depending on your area of expertise and qualifications.
Call our lawyers today on +1 844 290 6312 to receive assistance with your visa application.
What is the Irish Work Visa?
The Irish Work Visa allows non-EEA citizens, including Canadians, to come to Ireland to work. Before submitting the application for the Work Visa to Ireland, however, you have to obtain an employment permit. There are nine types of Irish employment permits you can choose from.
If your application for the Irish Work Visa is successful, you will be able to engage in employment in Ireland. The Irish Work Visa is a Long Stay ‘D’ Visa, which means you will have the right to spend more than 3 months in Ireland.
There are a number of requirements Canadian citizens wanting to obtain the Irish Work Visa have to meet. Our lawyers can help you determine whether you qualify for it and can help you apply.
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What Irish employment permits are there?
Before you can apply for the Irish Work Visa, you have to obtain an employment permit. Depending on your circumstances, you might be eligible for one of the following employment permits:
- General Employment Permit
- Critical Skills Employment Permit
- Contract for Services Employment Permit
- Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permit
- Reactivation Employment Permit
- Internship Employment Permit
- Sport & Cultural Employment Permit
- Dependent/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit
- Exchange Agreement Employment Permit.
If you hire one of our lawyers, they can help you determine which employment permit you should apply for. Each of the permits comes with a different set of requirements so hiring a lawyer who can explain them to you in detail is advisable.
The two permits that are the most sought after are the General Employment Permit and the Critical Skills Employment Permit. The former covers practically all occupations except for the ones that have been placed on the Ineligible List of Occupants for Employment Permits. The latter is intended for foreign citizens who are deemed highly skilled and who are coming to Ireland to fill a position that is facing a labour or skills shortage.
How can Canadian Citizens apply for the Irish Work Visa?
The first step of the application process for the Irish Work Visa is to complete an online form using the Employment Permits Online System (EPOS). Then, an immigration official will review your skills and qualifications and determine whether you are eligible for the employment permit you chose.
After you obtain your employment permit, you can submit the application for the Work Visa to Ireland, which belongs to the category of Long Stay ‘D’ Visas.
As part of the application, you have to provide a number of supporting documents that prove your eligibility for the Work Visa. The exact documents you need to include vary depending on the type of your employment permit. Your immigration lawyer can help you prepare a complete portfolio of evidence to make sure nothing is missing.
If your application is approved, you will receive a stamp in your passport and you will be able to travel to Ireland. If, however, your application is unsuccessful, you will be issued a letter explaining the reasons for the decision. You will have the right to appeal the visa refusal but you should consult an immigration lawyer before doing so.
How much does the Irish Work Visa cost?
The total cost of applying for the Irish Work Visa varies depending on the type of employment permit you choose and the duration of your planned stay in Ireland. Then, in addition to the fee for your employment permit, you also have to pay the visa application fee.
For your employment permit, you will have to pay one of the following fees:
- €1,000 for a General, Critical Skills, Intra-Company Transfer, Contract for Services, Reactivation, Sport and Cultural and Internship Permit if you want to spend up to 24 months in Ireland
- €500 for the permits mentioned above if you want to spend up to 6 months in Ireland
- €1,500 to renew your permit from six months for up to 36 months.
If you want to obtain the Exchange Agreement Permit, there is no fee for it.
As for your Irish Work Visa, you will have to pay either €60 for a single entry visa or €100 for a multiple entry one. During the application process, you have to submit receipts confirming that you paid all the relevant fees.
Are there alternative ways to come to Ireland to work?
If you want to come to Ireland to do short-term work, you can apply for the Atypical Working Scheme. It is a Short Stay ‘C’ Visa allowing foreign citizens to work in Ireland for up to 90 days.
To be eligible for the Atypical Working Scheme, you have to be coming to Ireland to work in one of the following positions:
- A worker providing a specialised skill to an Irish company or academic institution
- A worker coming to work for a company dealing with a skill shortage
- A locum doctor working in the hospital or primary care sector
- A nurse working for the Clinical Adaptation and Assessment Programme/Examination
- A researcher who is not eligible for an employment permit or hosting agreement and wants to spend up to 12 months in Ireland
- A third level student coming to Ireland to undertake short-term employment or internship necessary to their study course.
Keep in mind that the Atypical Working Scheme allows for short-term employment in Ireland. If you plan on working in Ireland for longer than 90 days, you need to hold an employment permit and apply for the Irish Work Visa before you arrive.
How can Total Law help?
The process of applying for the Irish Work Visa can be complex as each employment permit comes with different requirements. Our lawyers have a thorough knowledge of Irish immigration law, and they can explain to you in detail what criteria you need to meet depending on your chosen permit.
Your lawyers will go over your application before you submit it to make sure that you include all the necessary information and documents. This way, you can maximise the chances of your application being accepted.
Total Law offers a wide range of services you can choose from, and each of them can be tailored to your individual needs. Our lawyers understand that each case is different, and they are committed to guiding clients through the whole process of applying for Irish visas.
Call us today on +1 844 290 6312 to find out more about how our lawyers can help.
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By choosing our Appeal Package, you can rely on our lawyers’ legal knowledge and experience to ensure you have the highest chance of a successful appeal. We will also fully represent you in any hearings/tribunals.
Related pages for your continued reading.
Frequently Asked Questions
To be eligible for the Critical Skills Employment Permit foreign citizens have to be coming to Ireland to work in an occupation that has been deemed highly skilled and that is in a shortage of labour or skills in the Irish labour market. Eligible professions include chemists, engineers, or nurses, amongst others.
In addition to that, non-EEA citizens applying for the Critical Skills Employment Permit have to be earning €32,000 or more if they are coming to work in a profession that has been added to the Critically Skilled Occupations List. If they are coming to work in any other profession, they have to be earning at least €64,000.
If you are thinking of coming to Ireland for business purposes such as negotiating a contract or consulting with Irish partners, you should apply for the Short Stay ‘C’ Business Visa rather than the Work Visa. It allows you to spend up to 90 days in Ireland. Holders of the Business Visa can also work in Ireland for up to 14 days.
Yes, foreign citizens who want to apply for the Irish Work Visa have to hold a job offer at the time of submitting their application. There are certain requirements your job offer in Ireland needs to meet and you need to be able to prove that you will be working for an Irish employer after you arrive. Unfortunately, it is not possible to apply for the Irish Work Visa without a job offer and look for employment once in Ireland.
If you meet all the requirements and you are able to provide documents that prove it, obtaining the Irish Work Visa is not difficult. Nevertheless, if you fail to provide sufficient evidence showing that you and your job offer qualify for the Irish Visa, your application might be rejected. Hire one of our experienced immigration lawyers to maximise the chances of a positive outcome.