Ireland: Improvements to Work and Residence Permissions for Medical Doctors and their Partners/Spouses 

March 8, 2022

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Country / Territory

At a Glance

The Irish government has implemented the below relaxed rules for some non-European Economic Area (EEA) doctors: 

  • Non-EEA doctors who have already been working in Ireland for more than two years will be eligible to apply for a Stamp 4 permit and spousal work rights. Stamp 4 offers the right to work without preconditions. This application process is expected to open in mid-March and will close at the end of April. 
  • Non-EEA doctors, including those recently granted a multi-site two-year General Employment Permit, will be granted a new Stamp 1H immigration permission by the Department of Justice. 
  • Non-EEA doctors now only need to renew their immigration status once per year, rather than every six months. 

The situation

The Irish government has relaxed rules for some non-European Economic Area (EEA) doctors in order to reduce the burden on hospitals and medical professionals and increase the competitiveness of the Irish employment market for medical professionals.

Change Impact
Stamp 4 permit access. Non-EEA doctors already working in Ireland for more than two years will be eligible to apply for a Stamp 4 permit and their spouses will be able to apply for work authorization.  
  • Stamp 4 offers the right to work without preconditions such as those under other immigration statuses, such as employment permits or sponsorship.   
  • This application process is expected to open in mid-March and will close at the end of April.  
    • Currently, only non-EEA doctors with a Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) can transition to Stamp 4 after two years in Ireland; only spouses/partners of doctors under a CSEP can work in Ireland; and doctors under General Employment Permits must wait five years to transition to Stamp 4 and their spouses have no right to work.  
    • Employers will be able to hire Stamp 4 holders without submitting an employment permit application.  
    • These changes provide enhanced residence and permission rights to qualifying non-EEA doctors, who will be able to transition to Stamp 4 permission after two years. This is a more advantageous permission and will provide full working rights without a further employment permit, along with the right to be self-employed or to run a business.  
Stamp 1H access. Non-EEA doctors, including those recently granted a multi-site two-year General Employment Permit, can be granted a new Stamp 1H immigration permission by the Department of Justice.  
  • After two years under a Stamp 1H, such doctors will be eligible to apply for Stamp 4 immigration permission, which allows work without employer sponsorship or a separate work authorisation (the status requires renewal). 
  • Spouses/partners of such doctors will be able to apply for a Stamp 1G residence permission, which provides unlimited working rights.  
  • The government is expected to announce how doctors who hold a General Employment Permit (but not a two-year multi-site permit) can transition to Stamp 1H, in the coming months. 
 Spouses/partners of doctors who hold General Employment Permits can now obtain Stamp 1G status from the Department of Justice.  
 
Previously, spouses/partners of doctors holding General Employment Permit were granted Stamp 3 immigration permission, which does not allow the holder to work.
Fewer renewals. Non-EEA doctors now only need to renew their immigration status once per year, rather than every six months.   Doctors and their employers will face fewer administrative hurdles when seeking to renew their work permits. 

In 2021, the Irish government sought to reduce the burden on hospitals and doctors caused by the effects of the pandemic by introducing the two-year multi-site General Employment Permits. This change is aimed at continuing this trend and is expected to make Ireland a more attractive destination for non-EEA doctors. 

These changes follow the introduction of employment permit eligibility for care assistants last year and the extension of Stamp 1G working rights to the spouses/partners of CSEP holders in 2019. 

These changes are a welcome development as long visa processing times have created a backlog of visa applications. 

These changes are expected to increase the competitiveness of Ireland as a destination and can be seen as a recognition of the contribution of non-EEA doctors during the pandemic.   

Other immigration-related improvements in Ireland expected in the near future include the roll-out of a new residence card booking system for Dublin and the consideration of new employment permit legislation this year. We will report on related developments. 

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].  

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