Ireland: More Occupations Eligible for Employment Permits and Increased Salary Thresholds, Among Other Changes
January 25, 2024
Country / Territory
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At a Glance
- The Irish government has announced the largest ever expansion of the employment permits system, resulting in a number of changes to immigration law and policy.
- Effective December 20, 2023, occupations added to the Critical Skills Occupation list and other, formerly ineligible roles, have been made eligible for an Employment Permit.
- Additionally, on January 17, 2024, a number of changes will go into effect including:
- An increased salary requirement for most Employment Permit categories;
- An increased salary requirement for horticultural workers and meat processors; and the
- Extension of existing quotas for dairy farm assistants, butchers/deboners, meat processors and horticultural workers.
The situation
The Irish government has announced the largest ever expansion of the employment permits system, resulting in a number of changes to immigration law.
A closer look
Key changes include:
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Change |
Details |
Impact |
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Occupations added to Critical Skills Occupation List and made eligible for the General Employment Permit |
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Increased salary requirement for General Employment Permit (GEP) |
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Increased salary requirement for Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) |
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Increased salary requirement for Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permit (ICT) |
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Increased salary requirements for healthcare assistants, home carers, horticultural workers and meat processors |
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Extension of existing quotas for dairy farm assistants, butcher/deboners, meat processors and horticultural workers |
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Labor Market Needs Test (LMNT) required for General Employment Permit applications and will need to reflect revised thresholds |
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Background
Ireland is facing a strong demand for Employment Permits to fill labour shortages due to very low unemployment rates among the local population. Some categories of Employment Permits have not seen a change to the minimum salary thresholds in almost a decade, with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) noting that this lack of change had not kept pace with inflation or economic growth.
Looking ahead
The DETE has published a ‘roadmap’ for increasing the salary thresholds for all types of Employment Permits in the coming years, with indications that the thresholds may rise by a further EUR 5,000 – 7,000 by July 2025.
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].
