Critical Skills Employment Permit

To be able to apply for the Critical Skills Employment Permit, you have to be working in an occupation that has been deemed highly skilled and that is in a shortage in the Irish labour market.

Examples of occupations eligible for the Critical Skills Employment Permit include:

• Chemists
• Biologists
• Engineers
• Medical practitioners
• Pharmacists
• Nurses
• Web development professionals
• Architects.

Nevertheless, other professions might also be able to apply.

Additionally, to be eligible for the permit, one of the following has to apply to your situation:

• You are working in a profession that has been added to the Critically Skilled Occupations List and you are earning €32,000 or more
• You are working in any other profession (except for the ones that have been included in the Ineligible List of Occupants for Employment Permits) but you are earning €64,000 or more.

As part of the application process, you have to prove that you have relevant qualifications, minimum income, and work experience.

In addition to requirements regarding the type of your profession and your salary, your job offer in Ireland has to meet certain criteria. There are:

• Your prospective Irish employer is registered with Revenue and the Companies Registration Office and is trading in Ireland
• You will be employed and paid by an employer in Ireland
• Your job offer in Ireland is for at least two years.

Keep in mind that you will not be granted the Critical Skills Employment Permit if EEA nationals do not make up for at least 50% of the workforce at the company you want to work for in Ireland.

Talk to our immigration consultants and they will assess your situation and your job offer in Ireland to determine whether you are eligible for the Critical Skills Employment Permit.

The fee for the processing of your application for the Critical Skills Employment Permit is €1,000. This fee is partially refundable, which means that if your application is rejected, you will receive 90% back. Keep in mind that while the fee can be paid by a third party, a refund can only be issued to the actual applicant.

If your application is successful, you will also have to pay €300 for the Certificate of Registration.

In addition to the fees for your Critical Skills Employment Permit, you will have to pay for your Long Stay ‘D’ Visa. How much you will have to pay depends if you are applying for a single-entry or multiple-entry permit. For the single-entry visa, the fee is €60, for the multiple-entry one, it is €100.

The first step of the application process for the Critical Skills Employment Permit is to complete and submit an online application form. You can access it using the Employment Permits Online System. In the form, you have to provide information regarding your suggested employment in Ireland. Details you have to submit include:

• A full description of your proposed position in Ireland
• Starting date
• The duration of the contract
• Annual salary
• Information about the employer who gave you the job offer
• Information explaining what qualifications and experience are needed for this opening.

After you submit the form, it will be processed by an immigration official and receive the decision within six to eight weeks. If you fail to include some of the required information or evidence, the office might request you to provide it. Then the processing might take longer.

If your application for the Critical Skills Employment Permit is approved, you have to also apply for a Long Stay ‘D’ Visa to be able to enter Ireland and legally stay there for more than 3 months. Certain non-EEA countries have agreements with Ireland that allow their citizens to come to Ireland without a visa. Talk to our lawyers to find out what requirements apply to you in terms of an entry visa to Ireland.