General Employment Permit (Ireland)

The General Employment Permit is the State's main route for attracting non-EEA workers to fill occupations where there is a labour or skills shortage. It replaced the old Work Permit.

Unlike the Critical Skills Employment Permit, almost every occupation is eligible unless it is on the Ineligible List. Occupations on the Critical Skills Occupations List can also use this permit. Either you or your employer can apply, and the permit is issued to you, with a certified copy sent to the employer.

The job offer must come from a genuine employer that is registered with Revenue and, where it applies, with the Companies Registration Office or the Registry of Friendly Societies, and that is trading in Ireland. You must be a salaried employee paid directly by the employer.

For your part, the role must not be on the Ineligible List, you must have the qualifications, skills or experience the job needs, and your pay must meet the minimum for your category.

The minimum annual pay depends on the job and your situation. These are the figures from the Department of Enterprise, in force since 1 March 2026:

• Standard: 36,605 euros a year
• Recent graduates of an Irish third-level college, with the degree awarded in the previous 12 months: 34,009 euros
• Horticulture workers, meat processor operatives, health care assistants and home support workers: 32,691 euros a year, and an hourly rate of at least 16.12 euros

Pay counts as 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.

A job on the Ineligible List of Occupations cannot receive a permit, whatever the salary. The Department publishes the list separately, and it changes.

In May 2026 the Government announced the result of a review. Nine occupations were moved off the Ineligible List and became eligible without a quota, including pharmaceutical technicians, dental hygienists, steel fixers, concrete pump operators and printers. Two occupations, fish filleters and seafood operatives, became eligible under new quotas. Fifteen existing quotas were renewed, including hotel and restaurant managers, butchers, vehicle mechanics and home support services.

Check the current list before you rely on an old article, because rules for individual jobs can change within months.

In most cases your employer must complete a labour market needs test first. This means advertising the role on the Department of Social Protection's employment services site and on EURES, plus an additional online platform.

The test is not required in some cases:

• Occupations on the Critical Skills Occupations List
• Jobs paying at least 68,911 euros, though this does not override the Ineligible List
• Jobs recommended by Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland, for client companies
• Carers of a person with exceptional medical needs, where you already provide the care
• People who held a General Employment Permit and were made redundant within the previous six months, if the Department was told within four weeks

A permit is not issued unless at least 50% of the firm's employees are EEA nationals when the application is made. There are two waivers.

The first is for start-ups that registered with Revenue as an employer within the last two years and hold a letter of support from Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland. The second is for a sole employee, where the foreign national would be the firm's only employee and the Minister is satisfied of that.

In May 2026 the Government approved preparing changes to this rule, in response to problems in the health and social care sector. That is a first step, not a finished change.

A new permit lasts up to 24 months. You can renew it for up to three more years, and you apply on Employment Permits Online up to four months before it expires.

After five years you can apply to the Department of Justice for long-term residency. If you have held a General Employment Permit for five or more consecutive years and worked lawfully throughout, you may not need an employment permit any more, and you should contact the Department of Justice about a temporary Stamp 4. Continuous work for the same employer for five years or more can bring a renewal of unlimited duration, with no fee.

For a new permit, the fee is 500 euros for six months or less and 1,000 euros for six to 24 months. Renewals cost 750 euros for six months or less and 1,500 euros for six to 36 months. If the application fails, 90% is refunded, and the refund goes to the applicant even if someone else paid.

Under section 55 of the Employment Permits Act 2024, an employer or its agent cannot deduct the fees from your pay or recover them from you.

Applications must be received at least 12 weeks before the proposed start date. They are processed in date order, and you have 28 days to answer a request for information and 28 days to ask for a review of a refusal.

First-time holders are expected to stay with the first employer for nine months. After that you can change employer by applying for a new permit. The exceptions are redundancy, unforeseen circumstances that fundamentally change the job, and medical doctors on six-month rotations.

If you are made redundant, your employer must notify the Department within four weeks, and you have up to six months to find new employment.

Spouses, dependants and partners of General Employment Permit holders are not eligible for a Dependant Employment Permit. They must apply for their own employment permit, which is different from the Critical Skills permit.