Critical Skills Employment Permit: A Checklist for Irish Employers

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.

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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:

• An annual salary of at least €32,000 in a job on the Critical Skills Occupation List
• An annual salary of €64,000 in an occupation that is not on the Ineligible List of Occupations for Employment Permits

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.

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.

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