What sort of visa do you need? Find out here

[NewtoTown]

Working in Ireland

If you are a national of a country which is not a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) and you wish to work in Ireland, you will require authorisation to do so.

For most types of employment, a non-EEA national requires a Work Permit. For full information on work permits please visit the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment’s website here.

Please note that only an employer can apply for a work permit on behalf of a prospective employee.

A visa-required national can apply with his/her Work Permit for an "Employment" visa through their local Irish Embassy or Consulate

The Visa Application form can be downloaded here.

For certain skills categories (see below) you may be eligible to apply for a Working Visa or Work Authorisation through an Irish Embassy or Consulate.

An information leaflet on Working Visas and Work Authorisations is available here. The application form for a Working Visa or Work Authorisation can be downloaded here.

Skills Categories
At present the designated categories are:

Information and Computing Professionals:

* Information and computing technologies professionals
* Information and computing technologies technicians

Construction Professionals:

* Architects, including architectural technicians/technologists
* Construction engineers, including engineering technicians
* Quantity surveyors and Building surveyors
* Town planners;

Medical Professionals:

* Medical Practitioners
* Registered Nurses
* Dentists, and
* The following specified professionals in the Public Health and Social Care sectors, including voluntary bodies:

Diagnostic or Therapeutic Radiographer Audiologist
Dietician Social Worker
Occupational Therapist Medical Scientist
Orthoptist Physiotherapist
Medical Physicist Hospital Pharmacist
Psychologist ECG Technician
Speech and Language Therapist Neuropsychological Measurement Technician
Biochemist Cardiac Catheterisation Technician




Working Holidays

Ireland offers young people from Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Canada the chance to work casually to enable them to spend an extended holiday in Ireland. The Working Holiday Authorisation (WHA) can only be issued once and may not be renewed.

Australian citizens can apply in the Embassy of Ireland in Canberra, the Consulate General of Ireland in Sydney or through the Visa Office in Dublin. Contact details are available on this information leaflet and form.
New Zealand citizens must apply through the Honorary Consul General of Ireland in Auckland. The application form may be downloaded from their website.

Canadian citizens should contact SWAP (Student Work Abroad Programme, Ca) which administers the programme on behalf of the Irish Embassy in Ottawa. Information and application forms are available from their website.

Information for Hong Kong applicants

WHAs for Hong Kong are issued on behalf of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ireland by the Honorary Consul of Ireland, Hong Kong . Only one hundred authorizations will be issued in one year running from March 1st to February 29th.


ELIGIBILITY
To obtain a working holiday visa, HK passport holders must:


be aged between 18 and 30
hold a BNO or HKSAR passport valid for 15 months from the date of authorization issue
be resident in Hong Kong at time of application and authorization issue
provide evidence of access to a minimum of €2000 and an onward ticket, or €3000 without an onward ticket
complete the ‘Application for Working Holiday Authorisation' form and submit all requested documents
hold valid medical insurance to cover the duration of stay


Funds
Applicants must have sufficient funds to support themselves for at least the initial part of the holiday or in the event of failing to secure employment. Immigration officials may request evidence of sufficient funds at the point of entry to Ireland.


Medical Insurance
Applicants must have private medical insurance to cover any costs incurred in the event of an accident or illness for the entire duration of the stay in Ireland. Visas will only be valid for the period of insurance coverage and this period must be a minimum of six months.


Employment
The WHA will cover work of a casual or temporary nature only, The authorisation will not confirm the right to seek employment to anyone other than the named holder. The permit will be valid for an overall period of one year, but holders of the WHA must not engage in work with any one employer for a period in excess of three months.

There are no restrictions on the type of employment undertaken. Employment in a profession, however, is dependent upon recognition of qualifications and any rules of registration for practice in that profession.

To avoid the risk of misunderstanding or unrealistic expectations, applicants are advised that the market for short term casual work is highly competitive and is adequately supplied from the large number of school

leavers and other young Irish people looking for work.

Spouse & Dependents
A successful applicant may not be accompanied by his/her children or spouse however a spouse may apply for a working holiday visa.


Lodging your application
Applications by HK passport holders may be lodged in the Honorary Consulate of Ireland, Hong Kong and will be forwarded for decision to the Embassy of Ireland Visa Office, Beijing .



Honorary Consulate of Ireland

6th Floor Chung Nam Building

1 Lockhart Road

Wanchai

Hong Kong

Hours of business : Monday to Friday 10.00 - 120, 140 – 16:30

Tel: (852) 25274897

Fax: (852) 25201833



Application Form

Type or write clearly in BLOCK CAPITAL LETTERS when completing the application form
You must answer all questions on the application form. Incomplete application forms will be considered invalid.
You must sign the application form.


Submitting documents and other material in support of your application

Submission of false or misleading information will result in a visa application being refused. This will also be taken into account in any future visa application the applicant might make.
Applicants should expect verification checks to be undertaken in respect of the information and documents supplied.
Originals of all documents must be submitted along with a translated copy in English. Documents not translated from Chinese to English will not be considered.
Please supply one photocopy of all documents that you would like returned to you. If you do not supply a photocopy the original document will not be returned to you.
Two passport-size colour photographs, taken in the previous six months, should be attached to the application form.
The onus is on you the applicant to supply independently verifiable information in order to establish that your visa application is genuine.


Passport

The passport must be submitted with the visa application.
The passport must have no less than six months validity from the end of the intended period of stay in Ireland .
Copies of previous passports exhibiting previous immigration history should be provided. All pages, not just those with valid visas, must be included.
A decision on a visa application will not be issued until the passport is seen.
If an applicant is traveling on a replacement passport then a copy of the original passport or, a copy of the police report concerning the previous passport, must be submitted. You should also provide a clear explanation as to why a replacement passport has been issued.


Interview

Visa applicants are not generally required to attend for an interview however the Visa Office reserves the right to request an applicant to attend for interview on a case-by-case basis.


Additional Documents to be submitted:

Curriculum Vitae

Originals of any qualifications obtained

Letter from school / college (where applicable)

Original financial documents

Proof of medical insurance



The Department of Foreign Affairs and its representatives and agents reserves the right to refuse any application as it sees fit. They may also ask for further documentation.



Processing Time
If all documents are submitted correctly applications may be processed in approximately ten working days.

During this time your passport may be held. However if you urgently require your passport, please contact the Consulate of Ireland who may arrange for it to be returned. The passport must be returned to Consulate before a WHA can be issued.

Travel tickets should not be bought until a decision has been made and the applicant's documents have been returned to them.



Application Processing fee
A standard non-refundable visa application processing fee of HK$600 must be paid when the application is lodged.



Visa Validity
The visa will be valid for entry into Ireland for twelve months from the date of issue.

On arrival in Ireland the Garda National Immigration Bureau may grant permission to remain for up to, but not more than, twelve months from the date of entry, or for the period of medical insurance coverage to a mazimum of twelve months. No extensions to the period of validity of such permission will be granted.

The visa is valid for multiple entries.

No one person may avail of the scheme on more than one occasion.



Before travelling to Ireland
If your application is approved please check that all details on the visa are correct. If you have any questions in relation to the requirements and /or limitations of the visa please contact the Embassy of Ireland Visa Office, Beijing .



After arriving in Ireland
An individual who holds a valid visa does not necessarily have permission to stay in Ireland . The date of validity shown on the visa indicates only the date before which it must be presented to an Immigration Officer. The length of stay is decided by an Immigration Officer at the port of entry and will reflect the purpose of your journey. Irish law does not provide for a permanent residence visa.

Notwithstanding the issue of a WHA, applicants will be subject to normal immigration control at point of entry. All non EU nationals who wish to stay longer than 3 months in Ireland must register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau.

A visa applicant who submitted false or misleading information in support of his/her application may become liable for prosecution and/or subject to deportation.

You are not permitted under Irish law to involve yourself in any other activity or to remain in the State for any purpose other than that for which the visa was specifically granted.

A person wishing to undertake any activity in Ireland other than that for which his/her visa was granted must leave the State and apply for a new visa. The applicant may not return to Ireland while awaiting a decision on his/her new application

A visa holder who remains in the State longer than the permitted period may become liable for prosecution and/or subject to deportation.

What to do if your visa application is refused:

If your application has been refused and you still wish to travel to Ireland you may either appeal the decision or make a new application.

If you decide to make a new application your previous immigration history will be taken into account.

If you believe that the decision made was incorrect you should appeal this decision to the Appeals Officer.

In some cases not all aspects of an application will have been checked before arriving at the initial decision. During the appeal process the entire application will be re-examined in full.

You will receive a detailed list of the reasons why your application was refused when you are notified of the decision. You should address each refusal reason in your appeal. Supply good, clear, relevant evidence in your appeal to address any deficiencies in your initial application.

The appeal must be lodged within twenty-eight days of the date of notification of the initial decision. There is no processing fee for an appeal.


For further information on finding work in Ireland :

Register or Login to View this Link


For further information about tourism in Ireland :
Register or Login to View this Link



Studying in Ireland

If you require an entry visa for Ireland and would like to study here, you will need to present the following with your Visa Application:

1. Copies of your educational qualifications.
2. Letter of acceptance from a recognised school/college/university confirming that you have been accepted on a course of study. The course of study must be full time and have a minimum of 15 hours per week study time.
3. Evidence that the fees have been paid in full.
4. Evidence that you have sufficient funds to maintain yourself for at least the initial part of your stay.

Citizens of countries which are not a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) who are registered as full time students with the Garda National Immigration Bureau are permitted to work part-time (up to a maximum of 20 hours a week) to support themselves.

The Visa Application form can be downloaded here.


Travelling to Ireland as a tourist

If you are a Visa-required national and you would like to visit Ireland for a short period (less than 3 months) you should present the following documents with your visa application:

1. A letter from a reference in Ireland inviting you to Ireland. This letter should include contact details for the reference, proposed dates for your stay and details of where you will be staying.
OR
Confirmation of a hotel booking containing the dates of your proposed stay.
2. Evidence that you have sufficient funds to maintain yourself during your stay in Ireland. This should be in the form of a bank/building society statement or equivalent document.
OR
A Letter from your Reference in Ireland undertaking to support you financially during your stay in Ireland. The Reference may be requested to show that they have sufficient funds to do this (e.g. a bank statement).
3. Evidence that you are obliged to return to your country of residence. This can take the form of a letter from your employer detailing when you are expected to return to work or a letter from a college specifying the date on which your course of study re-commences. If you do not work or study a letter from a person in authority may be sufficient.

Please note that the above documents MUST be presented with your application.
The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Department of Foreign Affairs or any Irish Embassy or Consulate may ask for further documentation at any stage

The Visa Application form can be downloaded here.


Travelling to Ireland on business

Business Meeting
If you are a Visa-required national and coming to Ireland for a business meeting you should present the following with your Visa Application

1. Letter of Invitation from Irish company in question detailing what you will be doing on your proposed stay in Ireland and how long you will be staying.
2. Confirmation of where you will be staying during your proposed stay.
3. Confirmation of who will be responsible for your expenses during your stay. If it is yourself or your company, evidence may be requested.

Conference
If you are a Visa-required national and coming to Ireland for a conference you should present the following with your Visa Application.

1. Letter from the conference host detailing the nature and duration of your proposed stay in Ireland.
2. As above.