Which permit type should I apply for?

It depends on your occupation, salary, and employer setup. Critical Skills offers the fastest route to PR but requires your role to be on the Critical Skills Occupations List. We map your profile in the first consultation.

Do I need a job offer before applying?

Yes — Employment Permits are employer-sponsored. We can help structure your CV and target Irish employers, but the permit application requires a signed offer.

Can my family join me?

Holders of a Critical Skills Employment Permit can be joined by dependants immediately, and those dependants can work without their own permit. General Employment Permit holders face a longer wait.

When can I apply for permanent residency?

Critical Skills permit holders can apply for Stamp 4 after two years (rather than the standard five) and naturalize after meeting residency requirements.

What if my job offer is below the salary threshold?

The permit will not be issued. We tell you the threshold for your occupation upfront so you and the employer can revisit terms before applying.

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Ireland

Work · Popular

Ireland Employment Permit

Ireland's Employment Permit system covers a range of work pathways for non-EEA nationals, from highly-skilled Critical Skills permits to General Employment, Intra- Company Transfers, and four further sub-types. We screen which category fits your occupation and salary and handle the EPOS submission end-to-end.

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Content last reviewed 15 April 2026

Overview

What this visa is — and who it's for.

Employment Permits are issued by Ireland's Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment via the Employment Permits Online System (EPOS). Each permit type has distinct eligibility rules around occupation, salary thresholds, and labour-market testing — choosing the right one is the most consequential decision in the process.

After the permit is granted, most non-EEA nationals also need an entry visa from INIS (Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service) before travelling. We coordinate both — the employment permit and the entry visa — as a single integrated workflow, not two disconnected applications.

Sub-types

Choose the right route.

Critical Skills Employment Permit

Fast-track route for in-demand occupations on the Critical Skills Occupations List, with a clear path to Stamp 4 and PR.

General Employment Permit

Standard route for eligible occupations with a Labour Market Needs Test required in most cases.

Intra-Company Transfer Permit

For senior, key, or trainee staff transferring from a foreign branch to an Irish branch of the same multinational.

Dependant / Partner / Spouse Permit

Allows dependants of Critical Skills permit holders to work without their own job offer.

Sport & Cultural Employment Permit

For employment of cultural, scientific, sporting, or religious professionals where the role advances Ireland's sectors.

Reactivation Employment Permit

For workers who fell out of permit status through no fault of their own and need to regularise their position.

Requirements

What you'll need to bring.

Essential documents

Signed job-offer contract from an Irish employer
Valid Pakistani passport
Academic transcripts and professional qualification certificates
CV / résumé with verifiable employment history
Proof the salary meets the minimum threshold for the chosen permit type
Labour Market Needs Test evidence (General Employment Permit only)
Employer documentation (registration, payroll, sectoral evidence)
Recent passport-sized photographs meeting INIS specifications

Eligibility criteria

Concrete job offer from an Irish employer
Occupation eligible under the chosen permit type (Critical Skills Occupations List for CSEP, not on the Ineligible List for GEP)
Salary at or above the threshold for the chosen permit type
For General Employment Permit — passed Labour Market Needs Test (LMNT) where required
Employer meets the 50:50 ratio (Irish/EEA vs non-EEA staff) where applicable
No prior immigration breaches

Process

The application, step by step.

1
Job offer & permit-type selection
Variable
With a written job offer in hand, we screen which permit type fits the occupation, salary, and employer profile.
2
Labour Market Needs Test
2–4 weeks
For General Employment Permit, the employer must advertise the role on the EURES portal and Irish national channels.
3
EPOS submission
1 day
Submit the employment permit application via the Employment Permits Online System with employer and employee documentation.
4
Permit decision
4–13 weeks
Processing time varies by permit type and current EPOS workload — published estimates updated regularly.
5
Entry visa application
4–8 weeks
With the permit issued, apply for the corresponding entry visa via the AVATS system (for visa-required nationals like Pakistan).
6
Arrival & GNIB registration
First 90 days
Within 90 days of arrival, register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) and receive your Irish Residence Permit.

Processing time

Employment Permit processing varies by permit type and current EPOS workload — commonly 4–13 weeks. The follow-on entry visa typically adds 4–8 weeks. We share current published timelines during consultation.

Fees

Employment Permit application fees and entry visa fees are set by the Irish government and disclosed transparently. Our consultancy engagement fee is disclosed during your eligibility assessment, scoped to the permit type and complexity.

FAQ

Questions specific to this route.

Talk to a consultant

Interested in the Ireland Employment Permit?

Send us a quick note and we'll reply on WhatsApp within one business day. Prefer to self-screen first? Run the eligibility calculator — six minutes, no account required.