Ireland's General Employment Permit: Who Qualifies and the Salary Floor

What the General Employment Permit covers

The General Employment Permit is the main route Ireland uses to bring in workers from outside the EU for jobs facing a labour or skills shortage, according to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. It replaced the old Work Permit Employment Permit. Unlike the Critical Skills Employment Permit, which covers only a specified list of occupations, the General Employment Permit assumes every occupation is eligible unless it appears on the Ineligible List of Occupations for Employment Permits. It can be issued for a 12-month contract of employment, and all occupations on the Critical Skills Occupations List are automatically eligible too.

A permit can be granted for an initial period of up to 2 years, then renewed for a further 3 years. After 5 years, the holder may apply to the Department of Justice for long-term residency.

Who can qualify: employer and employee criteria

Either the foreign national or the employer can apply, though the permit is issued to the worker, with a certified copy sent to the employer. The employer must be registered with the Revenue Commissioners and, where applicable, the Companies Registration Office or Registry of Friendly Societies, and must be trading in Ireland. At least 50% of a firm's employees must be EEA nationals (the "50:50 rule"), though this is waived for start-ups registered as an employer with Revenue within the last 2 years that hold a letter of support from Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland, and for employers whose sole employee is the permit holder.

On the employee side, the job cannot fall under an excluded category on the Ineligible List of Occupations, and the applicant must have the qualifications, skills or experience the role requires. Spouses, dependants or partners of permit holders are not eligible for a Dependant Employment Permit; they must apply for their own permit in their own right.

The salary floor

Minimum annual remuneration is generally 36,605 euros. Two exceptions lower that floor. For Horticulture Worker, Meat Processor Operative, Health Care Assistant and Home Support Worker roles (classified under SOC 6145), the minimum is 32,691 euros, with a minimum hourly rate of 16.12 euros. For applicants whose relevant degree was issued by an Irish third-level college in the previous 12 months, the minimum is 34,009 euros. Qualifying remuneration includes basic salary, at least at National Minimum Wage or statutory rate level, plus, where relevant, health insurance payments made to an insurer registered under the Health Insurance Act, 1994.

The Labour Market Needs Test and staying with your first employer

Most applications require the employer to run a Labour Market Needs Test, advertising the role through the DSP Employment Services/EURES network plus one additional online platform. This is waived for jobs on the Critical Skills Occupations List, for roles paying at least 68,911 euros a year, for Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland client-company recommendations, for carers of a person with exceptional medical needs, and for permit holders made redundant within the previous 6 months who notified the Department within 4 weeks of dismissal.

If this is a worker's first employment permit in the State, section 18 of the Employment Permits Regulations 2024 requires them to stay with that employer for 9 months before a new permit for a different employer will be considered, except for medical doctors on 6-month rotations, redundancy, or unforeseen circumstances that fundamentally change the employment relationship.

Applying: timeline and fees

Applications must reach the Department at least 12 weeks before the proposed start date, submitted via Employment Permits Online. A processing officer may request extra information, which must be returned within 28 days, and an applicant whose permit is refused has 28 days to request a review. The fee for a new permit is 500 euros for a duration of 6 months or less, or 1,000 euros for 6 to 24 months. Renewal fees are 750 euros for 6 months or less, or 1,500 euros for 6 to 36 months. If an application is unsuccessful, 90% of the fee is refunded. Renewal applications can be made up to 4 months before the existing permit expires.

Under section 55 of the Employment Permits Act 2024, an employer cannot deduct permit-related charges from a worker's pay. Permits can transfer between employers under the European Communities (Protection of Employees on Transfer of Undertakings) Regulations 2003 (SI No 131 of 2003), and under section 43(1) of the Employment Permits Act 2024, a permit must be notified and returned to the Department within 4 weeks if the employment ends.