Irish Employment Permit: Apply from the US

There are nine different types of Ireland employment permits, they are:

1. Critical Skills Employment Permit

The Ireland Critical Skills Employment Permit is issued to highly-skilled international workers. This is to encourage high-skilled foreigners to live and work in Ireland. Usually, they are employed to fill skills shortages in some high-skill eligible occupations. The occupation under the Critical Skills Employment Permit includes professionals in the fields of Engineering, Health, ICT, Teaching, Natural, and Social Science, Specialist language support, Architecture, etc. Irish employers who are hiring international workers for the Critical Skills Permit do not need to take the Labour Markets Needs Test.

2. General Employment Permit

This Irish employment permit is given to professions that are ineligible for the Critical Skills permit. There is no list of eligible occupations under this type of employment permit. From its name, it is general, you can apply for this permit under any profession.

3. Dependent/Partner/Spouse Employment Permits

A dependent/spouse/partner employment permit is an Irish work permit that allows spouses, partners, or other dependents of a Critical Skills Employment Permit Holder to work in Ireland. This permit allows family members of Critical Skills Employment Permit Holder to work in any profession, including ineligible categories, but cannot work as a domestic operative. The visa application comes without a cost.

4. Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permit

This type of employment visa allows foreign workers to transfer to an Irish branch of the company they are employed in. It is typically issued to senior management, key personnel, or trainees.

5. Internship Employment Permit

The Ireland Internship Employment Permit allows foreign students to come to gain work experience in Ireland. These foreign students must be enrolled in a third-level educational institution outside Ireland. This permit allows you to travel and stay in Ireland for only 12 months.

6. Contract for Services Employment Permit

This Permit is issued to foreign workers who are employed by a foreign company but come to work in Ireland on behalf of their employer, who got a contract with an Irish national.

7. Sport and Cultural Employment Permit

The Ireland Sport and Cultural Employment Permit is given to foreign nationals who have qualifications, skills, experience, or knowledge in the field of sports and culture that can help in the development of Ireland.

8. Exchange Agreement Employment Permit

This type of employment permit is issued to foreign workers to work under an international exchange agreement, of which Ireland is part of the agreement. For example, we have The Fulbright Programme, The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE), or AIESEC.

9. Reactivation Employment Permit

The Ireland Reactivation Employment Permit is issued to former Employment Permit holders in Ireland who lost their right to work, without their fault. For example, a person can lose their right to work due to abuse or workplace exploitation.

There are requirements you need to meet to qualify for an Ireland employment permit. They are:

• You must have gotten a job offer from an Irish company.
• Your Irish employer has to pass the Labour Market Needs Test to verify that they could not find an Irish or EU/EEA/Swiss citizen for the position. However, employers who hire professionals under the Critical Skills Employment Permit do not need to take the test.
• The minimum annual salary for the Critical Skills Employment Permit must be at least €30,000 or €80,000, depending on the occupation.
• The minimum annual salary for General Employment Permit must be at least €30,000.
• The annual minimum salary for any other type of work permit must meet the National Minimum Wage.
• The Irish company hiring you must have at least 50% of EU/EEA/Swiss nationals.

Required Documentation for Ireland Employment Permit

When applying for an employment permit, there are documents you need to submit to verify your intentions for coming to Ireland.

However, these documents change depending on the type of permit you are applying for, but the essential documents are:

• A copy of your valid passport
• Passport-size photographs in line with Ireland’s requirements.
• A copy of the work contract signed by you and the employer.
• A copy of your current immigration stamp, if you are residing in Ireland at the time of application.
• Details of a contact person: Name, position in the company, phone number, and email address.
• Relevant Registration/Pin or License number of the company issued by the appropriate Irish Regulatory bodies or Government Ministers.
• Copy of the letter of support by IDA/Enterprise Ireland, if applicable.
• Evidence of financial documents showing sufficient funds to cover your costs. You will need to submit 6 months’ bank statements of both you and your employer.
• Full details of your employer. For example, you will need to include the company registration number, address, name, and relevant certificates from authorized bodies.
• Full details of your employment, such as your salary, work responsibilities, duties, and duration.

Irish employment permit application can be submitted by either you or your employer. In a case where you are applying for an intra-company transfer work permit, your employer in your home country can submit the application on your behalf.

Therefore, you or your employer need to submit the application for an Ireland work permit online through the Employment Permit Online System, EPOS.

Once you start the online application, you will receive a number, known as MyWork-ID. This number allows you to pause and resume the application within 28 days after starting the process.

Submitting the Visa Application Online

After applying for your work permit, you will need to apply and submit an application for the Ireland work visa online, via the Irish online visa application facility.

Fill in all the information in the application form, and print out the summary application form. This will be submitted alongside all the documents as stated above to the visa office stated on the summary application form.

The processing time for an Ireland work visa is eight weeks and 13 weeks for an employment permit. However, your processing time can be delayed if you have any missing documents or during busy times. It is important that you follow the instructions, and apply well in advance of your intended time of travel, but no earlier than three months.

Application Fee

The application fee varies, and this depends on the type of employment permit you are applying for, but they range between 500-1500 euros. For the visa application fee, you will need to pay 80 euros for a single entry visa, 100 euros for a multi-entry visa, and 25 euros for a transit visa.