Critical Skills Employment Permit
If you are a highly-skilled foreign citizen and you want to come to Ireland to work, you might be eligible for the Critical Skills Employment Permit. Find out more about who can apply and what is the application process.
Call our experts on +353 61 518 025 to receive assistance with your application.
Page Contents
- What is the Critical Skills Employment Permit?
- Who is eligible for the Critical Skills Employment Permit?
- What are the job offer requirements for the Critical Skills Employment Permit?
- What is the fee for the Critical Skills Employment Permit?
- How to apply for the Critical Skills Employment Permit?
- How can Total Law help?
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Critical Skills Employment Permit?
If you are a non-EEA national who wants to come to Ireland to work, you have to obtain an employment permit for Ireland. There are several types of permits you might be eligible for.
The Critical Skills Employment Permit is intended for highly skilled foreign citizens who want to come to Ireland to work in a position that has been placed on the Critically Skilled Occupations List.
Initially, if your application is successful, you will have the right to live and work in Ireland for two years. Then, you will be able to apply for Stamp 4, which is valid for up to 5 years. Once you have lived in Ireland for a certain required period of time, you can apply for permanent residency.
Ireland is trying to fill the skill gap in its labour market so the Critical Skills Employment Permit offers a fast track to residency in the country.
Who is eligible for the 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.
What are the job offer requirements for the Critical Skills Employment Permit?
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.
What is the fee 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.
How to apply for the Critical Skills Employment Permit?
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.
How can Total Law help?
Applying for employment permits to Ireland, including the Critical Skills Employment Permit can be complicated, especially if you do not know Irish immigration law. At Total Law, we are committed to guiding our clients and making the application process stress-free and clear.
If you hire one of our immigration experts, they will assess your eligibility for the Critical Skills Employment Permit and will help you complete the online application form. Thanks to their help, you can be sure that the information and evidence you submit are sufficient to prove you have the required skills and qualifications for the permit.
Your immigration expert will be around to answer any questions and clear any doubts you might have. They will also help you understand what is expected from you at each step of the application process. Our team of capable immigration advisors offer the same expertise as an immigration lawyer.
Call us today on +353 61 518 025 to find out more about how Total Law can help.
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Related pages for your continued reading.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are nine employment permits to Ireland. In addition to the Critical Skills Employment Permit, depending on your skills and qualifications, you might be eligible for one of the following:
- General 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 are not sure which employment permit to Ireland you should choose, talk to our immigration consultants and they will help you decide and submit your application.
If your application for the Critical Employment Skills is successful, you can apply for immediate family reunification. Thanks to that, your de facto partner, spouse, or minor dependent child might be able to come to Ireland with you. Then they can apply for a Dependent, Spouse, or De Facto Partner Visa for free. As family members of a CESP holder, they will be able to study and work in Ireland.
Once you come to Ireland on the Critical Employment Skills Permit, you will have to stay with the employer who initially employed you for at least 12 months. The only exception is if there are any unforeseen circumstances that prevent you from continuing to work for them.
After that, you can look for another job for a different company but you will have to submit a new application for a Critical Skills Employment Permit to be able to begin working for them.
When completing the online application form for the Critical Employment Skills Permit, you have to provide the following details of your suggested employment in Ireland:
- The title of your position
- Your tasks and responsibilities
- The name of the company you will be working for
- The location of your job
- The qualifications and skills required for the opening
- The qualifications and work experience you have
- Your salary.
Additionally, you have to provide details of your employer. These include:
Registered and trading name of their business
- The type of their business
- Information on how many people they employ and how many employees are EEA nationals
- The address of the company.
If you are not sure what information to submit in your application, get in touch with our experts.