Ireland - Critical Skills Employment Permits

To obtain the permit, the applicant does not need to pass a labor market needs test.
The permit holder has the ability to begin the family reunification process.
After the permit expires, the holder can apply to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service for permission to live and work without requiring an employment permit.

Obtaining this permit largely depends on the type of profession and the salary offered. Accordingly, the applicant's profession and the salary offered by the employer may play a decisive role in the permit-issuance process.

There are specific requirements that a person must meet to obtain the Critical Skills employment permit:

To obtain the permit, the applicant must have a job offer with an annual salary of at least €38,000 for a job included on the critical skills occupations list, or €64,000 for other eligible occupations.

For jobs with an annual salary of €38,000, a relevant degree or higher education is required. For jobs with an annual salary of €64,000, a degree or relevant work experience is required.

If the applicant's profession is nurse or midwife, they will be required to hold a level 8 degree or a degree recognized by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland.

The applicant must have a 2-year job offer from the employer.

The applicant, considered a prospective employee, must possess the relevant skills, qualifications, and work experience required by the employer.

The applicant must hold the job offer from a company where more than 50% of employees are citizens of EEA (European Economic Area) member states at the time the application is made.

The application for the employment permit must be submitted at least 12 weeks before the intended start date of employment.

The application can be submitted through the online employment permits system, where a user guide (PDF document) is also available to help applicants through the process and describes in detail the documentary requirements for each type of employment permit.

Application receipt: after the application is submitted and the fee is paid, the application is placed in the relevant processing queue. It should be noted that review is conducted strictly, and applicants can track current application processing dates at the following link. Applicants can also check their application's progress on the status update online platform.

Application processing: at this stage, the application is reviewed by an authorized decision-making official, who may, if necessary, request additional information, which the applicant must provide within 28 days. Ultimately, the decision-maker will either approve the application or issue a refusal based on specific reasons.

Review: if a negative decision is received, the applicant has the option to request a review of their application, for which they have 28 days.

The processing fee for the Critical Skills employment permit is €1,000. If the application is unsuccessful, 90% of the fee is refundable. Although the fee may be paid by a third party, current policy limits refunds to the applicant only (for example, if the applicant was the employee and the employer paid the fee, the refund will go to the employee). Detailed information on fee requirements and certain refusal cases can be found on the employment permits fees page.

If the employer is the applicant, under Section 23 of the Employment Permits Act 2006, the employer may not make any deductions from the employment permit holder's pay.

After a successful employment permit application, if the applicant needs a visa to enter Ireland, they must apply to their local Irish embassy/consulate. The online visa application form can be found at inis.gov.ie.

Anyone wishing to enter the territory of the Irish state, regardless of whether they need a visa, is subject to standard immigration control. Therefore, travelers must carry all relevant and supporting documentation, including the employment permit, with them at the border.

It should also be noted that an employment permit is not a residence permit. Since Georgia is not an EEA member state, after obtaining an employment permit and visa, it's important for Georgian citizens to register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau as soon as possible after arrival, as delays in registering with the immigration bureau may affect eligibility for long-term residency and/or citizenship.