Guide to Irish work permits and visas

[NewtoTown]

All non-EEA nationals must have an employment permit to work in Ireland. From 1 February 2007 the new arrangements for employment permits include:

Green Card Permits

Green Card permits which are available for all occupations with an annual salary above €60,000 and for a restricted range of occupations with an annual salary above €30,000 and €60,000 It will be issued for an initial period of two years (These visas are only available for job offers for a duration of two year or more) and will thereafter normally be renewed indefinitely. This visa allows the employee to apply for immediate family re-unification and will normally allow a pathway to permanent residency after two years.

Unlike Work Permits (see below) No labour market needs test (e.g. newspaper and FAS/EURES advertising) is required prior to making an application. Either the employee or the employer may apply for this visa. You are expected to stay with your initial employer for a period of 12 months but then you may move employer provided that a new application for a Green Card Permit is made.

The fees for applicants are:

New - €1,000 - 2 year period
Renewal - €1,500 - Renewed indefinitely (after 2 years)

More information on this type of visa is available at

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Work Permits

Work permits which are available mainly for occupations with salaries between €30,000 and €60,000 which are not eligible for a Green Card. They are also available in exceptional circumstances for jobs with salaries below €30,000. The work permit application must meet a labour market test - the job must be advertised with the FÁS/EURES employment network and additionally in local and national newspapers, for three days.

The fees for applicants are:

New applicant- €500 - Period up to 6 months
New applicant - €1,000 - Period from 6 months to 2 years
Renewal - €1,500 - Period up to 3 years
Unlimited - No Fee - Renewed indefinitely (after 5 years)

Once you have a work permit you may transfer to another employer provided the same labour market needs test has been undertaken again (ie. the job must be advertised with the FÁS/EURES employment network and additionally in local and national newspapers, for three days). More information on this visa is available at Register(Free)/Login to View Link

Intra-Company Transfer Permits

This scheme is designed to facilitate the transfer of senior management, key personnel or trainees who are foreign nationals from an overseas branch of a multinational corporation to its Irish branch.The employee must be earning a minimum annual salary of €40,000, and the employee must have been working for a minimum period of 12 months with the overseas office.

The duration would be for a defined period depending on the reason for transfer up to a maximum of 24 months for the first permit and then for a maximum of 5 years on the second permit. The employee/transferee cannot work for any employer other than that named in the permit. At the cessation of the employment or when the permit expires the employee/transferee in question must return to their country of origin.

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Permits for Spouses & Dependants of Work Permit holders

Free Work Permits for Spouses & Dependants of Work Permit holders are available to ..spouses and dependants (under the age of 18 - persons 18 years of age will be judged on an individual basis) of those legally entitled to work in Ireland (work permit/visa/green card holder/intra-company transfer permit), they last as long as the permit of their spouse lasts, find out more here:

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Student visas to study in Ireland

Citizens of certain countries who wish to pursue a course of study in Ireland must apply for a visa to enter Ireland before they travel here.
If you would like to study in Ireland and require a visa, you will need to present the following to your nearest Irish embassy or consulate with your visa application.

• Copies of your educational qualifications.
• Letter of acceptance from a recognised school/college/university in Ireland confirming that you have been accepted.
• Evidence that the fees have been paid.
• Evidence that you have enough funds to support yourself for at least the start of your stay. (You are permitted to work part-time in Ireland - up to a maximum of 20 hours a week and full-time during vacation periods to support yourself)

From 18th April 2005 new students given permisssion to remain in Ireland for study will not be given permission to work unless they are attending a full-time course of at least a year leading to a recognised qualification. If you wish to study in Ireland for less than three months you should apply for a 'C study visa'. If your course lasts longer than three months, you should apply for a 'D study visa'.If you do not require an entry visa enter Ireland you do not require a student visa to study in Ireland.

Standard non-refundable visa application processing fees are:

Single-journey visa: 60 euro
Multiple-journey visa: 100 visa

Full details are available at Register(Free)/Login to View Link

Working Holiday Visas for Ireland

Ireland currently has working holiday agreements with Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA and Hong Kong. Full time students or recent graduates from South Africa can apply for a special work visa valid for up to 4 months.
Guidelines:

• Applicants must be between the age of 18 and 30 who are single, or married without children
• Hold a valid passport of an agreement country
• Applicants must have sufficient funds to support themselves
• Successful applicants should ensure that they have adequate medical insurance cover
• Must not engage in work with any one employer for a period in excess of 3 months.

Graduates of Irish 3rd level colleges

A non-EEA student who has acquired a primary, masters or doctorate degree from an Irish third level educational institution will be permitted to apply to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service to remain in Ireland for six months after the receipt of their examination results. This period will allow them to seek employment and, if appropriate, apply for a work permit or green card permit.

Your nearest Irish embassy or consulate will be able to advise on whether you require a travel visa before coming to Ireland.

[dubdream]

Just a note on the working holiday visas for Canadians wishing to go to Ireland. This is administered by the SWAP program and you can be a student or a non-student (ages 18 - 35). You apply for a year long work visa and there is no restriction on who you work for. Plus you don't need a job before you go. It's been my solution for getting around the whole employment permit hassle. See Register(Free)/Login to View Link for further details.

[rachel]

hi everyone, please read the thread/post before you post out a similar question. there is alot of info regarding to how to obtain employment permits are already posted in previous thread. same questions normally would not get answered twice.thanks