Critical Skills Employment Permit (Ireland)

The Critical Skills Employment Permit replaced the old Green Card permit. According to the Department of Enterprise, it is designed to attract highly skilled people into the Irish labour market, with the aim of encouraging them to take up permanent residence.

Compared with the General Employment Permit, it has a higher bar for pay but fewer hurdles. You do not need your employer to run a labour market needs test, because the skills are already identified as being in short supply, and the permit opens a quicker route to the right to work without a permit at all.

Eligibility depends mainly on your occupation and your pay. The Department publishes three figures, which rose on 1 March 2026:

• Tier 1 is 40,904 euros a year. It applies to a restricted list of strategically important occupations on the Critical Skills Occupations List, and you need a relevant degree or higher.
• Tier 1 for recent graduates is 36,848 euros a year. It applies if you qualified within the 12 months before the application date.
• Tier 2 is 68,911 euros a year. It applies to all other occupations, apart from those on the Ineligible List or contrary to the public interest.

Public sector jobs follow the rate set by the relevant pay agreement. Countable pay is your basic salary, which must be at least the minimum wage, plus health insurance payments to a registered insurer. The Government has said thresholds will keep rising in stages through 2030, so check the current figure before you accept an offer.

You need a job offer from a genuine employer that is based and trading in Ireland and registered with Revenue and, where it applies, the Companies Registration Office. You also need the qualifications, skills and experience the role requires.

The job offer must be for at least two years. An offer shorter than two years may qualify for a General Employment Permit instead.

The qualification rules depend on the tier:

• For the Tier 1 occupations you need a relevant degree or higher.
• If you earn more than 68,911 euros without a degree, you need the level of experience the job demands.
• Nurses and midwives need a third-level degree or diploma accepted by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland for registration.

The list is based on analysis by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs. The Department gives ICT professionals and professional engineers and technologists as examples.

In May 2026 the Government announced six additions after a review: agronomist, construction planner or scheduler, community eye care, intellectual property professionals, geospatial surveyor (also called land surveyor or geomatics surveyor), and riggers within the games industry.

Lists change, so check the current one on the Department's website before you apply.

You do not need a labour market needs test, so your employer does not have to advertise the job first.

There is one rule to watch. The employer must have at least 50% EEA national employees when the application is made. The rule is waived for qualifying start-ups within two years of setting up that are supported by Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland, as client companies.

The application fee is 1,000 euros. If the application is refused, 90% is refunded, and the refund goes to the applicant even when an employer paid the fee. Under section 55 of the Employment Permits Act 2024, an employer cannot deduct the fee or related costs from your pay or recover them from you.

Applications go in through Employment Permits Online and must be received at least 12 weeks before the proposed start date. They are processed in date order, with separate queues for Trusted Partner employers and standard employers. If the decision-maker asks for more information, you have 28 days to send it, and you have 28 days to request a review of a refusal. The Department publishes current processing dates on a separate page.

An employment permit is not a visa. If your nationality needs one, you apply to the Irish embassy or consulate after the permit is approved. The Irish government lists the visa fee as 60 euros for a single entry and 100 euros for multiple entries, and the fee cannot be refunded if the application is refused or withdrawn.

When you arrive, Department guidance says non-EEA nationals must register with immigration. Register on time, because late registration can affect later applications for long-term residence or citizenship.

You are expected to stay with your first employer for at least nine months. The exceptions are redundancy and unforeseen circumstances that fundamentally change the job.

If you are made redundant, you or your employer must tell the Employment Permits Section within four weeks. You then have up to six months to find new work. If your employment ends, the permit must be returned within four weeks.

You can apply to Immigration Service Delivery for immediate family reunification. Once your spouse or partner is living in Ireland, they can seek any employment, and they can apply for a Dependant, Partner or Spouse Employment Permit, which is currently free of charge.

This is the main attraction of the permit. You do not renew it through the Department. Instead you can apply directly to the Department of Justice for a Stamp 4, and since 30 November 2023 you no longer need a support letter from the Department.

If you meet the criteria you receive two years of immigration permission, which can be renewed, and you can work without a further employment permit. After 60 months of residence permission you can apply for long-term residence. If you do not meet the criteria you receive a Stamp 1 and still need an employment permit to work.

Check the salary against the tier for your occupation, not just the lowest figure. A job that fits Tier 1 needs a relevant degree, while a job on Tier 2 needs a much higher salary.

Apply at least 12 weeks before the start date, and do not resign from your current job until the permit is approved.

Keep your registration up to date. A missed deadline can create problems at the long-term residence stage.