Ireland: Submission Period Opens for Public Consultation on Occupation Lists
June 26, 2023
At a Glance
- Beginning June 26, 2023, Ireland’s Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) is inviting all relevant stakeholders to submit evidence that supports claims for certain occupations to be included on the Critical Skills Occupation List or taken off the Ineligible Occupations List for employment permits.
- The Critical Skills Occupation List identifies professions that are in short supply in Ireland and for which international recruitment is necessary, whereas the Ineligible List of Occupations are occupations under which non-European Economic Area/Swiss/UK workers may not apply for an employment permit.
- The submission deadline is August 18, 2023, at 17:00 (local time), at which time the DETE will begin to review the submissions in order to revise the occupation lists to better reflect the current state of the labor market
The situation
As a part of Ireland’s Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment’s (DETE) periodic review of the shortage occupation lists, authorities are requesting that relevant stakeholders make submissions for occupations to be included on the Critical Skills Occupation List or taken off the Ineligible Occupations List for employment permits, beginning June 26, 2023.
A closer look
- Details of submission. Stakeholders should include any information in their submission that they consider to be relevant to their sector, including, but not limited to, data on skills or labor shortages, information on recruitment efforts, and any retention issues that have arisen for particular occupations.
- Deadline for submission. All submissions must be made by August 18, 2023, at 17:00 (local time).
- Submission process. Stakeholders and representatives may send their submissions to [email protected]. Fragomen can assist with the submission process.
Impact
Stakeholders who make submissions to the DETE are able to provide information to help the government accurately assess the current state of the labor market and therefore, more accurately capture which occupations should be added to the Critical Skills List and which occupations should be removed from the Ineligible List.
Background
- Prior registration period. In March 2023, the DETE opened a registration period for stakeholders to register their interest in forthcoming calls regarding revisions to the skills lists.
- Purpose of submission period. The submission period is intended ensure that the employment permit scheme is responsive to the needs of the current labor market.
- Critical Skills Occupations List. This list outlines occupations with in-demand skills for which it is considered necessary to encourage the recruitment of non-European Economic Area/Swiss/UK nationals. Such foreign workers can apply for a Critical Skills Employment Permit.
- Ineligible List of Occupations for Employment Permits. The Ineligible List of Occupations identifies employment categories that are ineligible for employment permit applications in Ireland.
Looking ahead
After the submission deadline has passed, the DETE will assess the information they have collected and proceed to revise the Critical Skills Occupation List and Ineligible List of Occupations for Employment Permits to better reflect the current state of the labor market. This will enable employers to submit immigration applications for occupations which are successfully made eligible for employment permits.
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].