March 2022

Checklist: Irish Critical Skills Employment Permit

Checklist: Irish Critical Skills Employment Permit

What's inside

This checklist provides a high-level overview of the application process from beginning to end, including pre-arrival and post-arrival steps. It is intended for Irish employers.

The Critical Skills Employment Permit is available to highly-skilled workers in professions where there’s a shortage of skills in Ireland. A full list of these occupations can be found on the Critical Skills Occupation List.

Applicants or their potential employers can apply for a Critical Skills Employment permit if the applicant has a job offer that has either:

Additionally, the job offer must be for two or more years.

These are the main qualifications for the Critical Skills Employment Permit:

  • Applicants must have the qualifications, skills and experience needed for the job.
  • For eligible jobs that require a salary of €32,000 or higher, applicants must hold a degree or higher qualification.
  • For eligible jobs that require a salary of €64,000 or higher, applicants must have a degree or equivalent experience.

A Labour Market Needs Test is not required for a Critical Skills Employment Permit.

In most cases, it is not possible to get a permit to work for a company where more than 50% of the employees are non-EEA nationals. However, this restriction may be waived for start-up companies that are within the first two years of operation and supported by Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland.

The Critical Skills Employment Permit is issued for a period of two years. Thereafter, applicants can get permission to live and work in Ireland without an employment permit.