IRELAND GENERAL EMPLOYMENT PERMIT: ELIGIBLE JOBS, SALARY AND FEES

The single most expensive mistake applicants make is assuming the salary figure they read online is still the one being applied. It usually isn’t. The €34,000 threshold that appears on hundreds of visa-advice pages was replaced on 1 March 2026, and a job offer built around the old number will now fail on the arithmetic alone — after the employer has already paid for a month of advertising and a €1,000 fee. The second most expensive mistake is starting the paperwork too late.

This guide walks through the whole thing in order, the way the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment actually assesses it: job first, salary second, employer third, advertising fourth, money fifth, submission sixth. Work through the steps in sequence and you will know within twenty minutes whether an offer is viable.

Confirm the job is not on the Ineligible Occupations List

Ireland runs this permit in reverse compared with most countries. There is no list of approved jobs to search for. According to the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, every occupation in the labour market is treated as eligible unless it appears on the Ineligible Occupations List — and every occupation on the Critical Skills Occupations List is automatically eligible too.

That single design choice is what makes the General Employment Permit the broadest route into Ireland. It covers occupations that would never appear on a shortage list: mid-level hospitality supervision, specialist trades, technicians, logistics roles, care work, food production, agriculture, transport, and a wide spread of administrative and technical positions across manufacturing and construction.

The Ineligible Occupations List exists because the Department has evidence that enough Irish and EEA workers are already available for those roles. Typical exclusions cluster around general operative work, routine retail and sales positions, basic clerical roles, hairdressing, cleaning, security, driving and childcare. The list is reviewed periodically, which is why a role that was blocked two years ago may be open now — and vice versa.

Two practical points get people caught out. First, the assessment is based on the actual duties described in the application, not on the job title the employer prefers. Dressing a general operative role up as a “production technician” will not survive scrutiny. Second, the exclusion is absolute: as the Department states, no employment permit can issue for a listed occupation regardless of how high the salary is.

Work out which general employment permit salary threshold applies in 2026

There is no single figure. From 1 March 2026 three separate floors operate side by side, and picking the wrong one is the fastest route to a refusal.

Category	Minimum annual remuneration	Notes
Standard General Employment Permit	€36,605	The default for almost all applicants
Horticulture workers, meat processor operatives, health care assistants and home support workers (SOC 6145)	€32,691	Minimum hourly rate of €16.12 also applies
Applicants holding a relevant degree awarded by an Irish third-level college in the previous 12 months	€34,009	Recent-graduate tier
Critical Skills Employment Permit (for comparison)	€40,904	Different permit, different rules

These figures come from the roadmap announced by the Department in December 2025. The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland notes that the same date lifted the General Employment Permit floor from €34,000 and the care and food-production tier from €30,000. Reporting from immigration firm BAL confirms the increases are the first phase of a schedule that runs in stages to 2030 rather than landing all at once — a deliberate softening of an earlier plan that would have pushed thresholds to €39,000 by 2026.

By the numbers

• €36,605 — standard minimum for a new permit
• €32,691 — reduced tier for specified care, horticulture and meat processing roles
• €16.12 — minimum hourly rate attached to that reduced tier
• €68,911 — salary level at which the advertising requirement disappears entirely

What counts toward the threshold is narrower than most people expect. The Department recognises only two components: basic salary, which must itself reach at least the National Minimum Wage or any rate fixed by statute, and health insurance payments made to an insurer on the Health Insurance Authority’s register. Bonuses, commission, overtime, accommodation, meals, travel allowances and relocation payments do not count. A €33,000 salary with a €5,000 annual bonus does not reach €36,605 — it is a €33,000 offer.

KEY POINT
The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland records the National Minimum Wage at €14.15 an hour for 2026. Basic pay must clear that rate before health insurance is added on top, so a low hourly rate cannot be rescued by generous benefits.

Check the employer can actually sponsor

Plenty of viable offers collapse here, and the applicant usually has no visibility of it until the refusal arrives.

The employer must be registered with the Revenue Commissioners, registered with the Companies Registration Office or Registry of Friendly Societies where that applies, and currently trading in Ireland. There must be a genuine employer–employee relationship, with the worker employed, salaried and paid directly by that employer. Agency-style arrangements where a third party pays the wages do not satisfy this.

Then comes the rule that surprises everyone: the 50:50 rule. The Department will not issue a permit unless, at the time of application, at least half of the company’s employees are EEA nationals. A small firm that has already hired several non-EEA staff can be locked out of hiring another one.

There are two carve-outs. Start-ups registered with Revenue as an employer within the previous two years can be exempted if they hold a letter of support from Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland — and at renewal, a company showing significant progress toward 50% may receive a one-year permit rather than losing staff. The second exemption applies where the employer has no employees at all and the permit holder will be the sole employee, which also carries through to renewal for as long as that remains true.

Before you move on: ask the employer directly whether they meet the 50:50 rule, and whether they have sponsored a permit before. An employer who has never heard of the rule is an employer who has not checked it.

Complete the labour market needs test in Ireland correctly

This is the employer’s job, it takes a minimum of 28 days, and it cannot be rushed or repaired after the fact.

The policy behind it is straightforward: vacancies in Ireland should first be offered to suitably skilled Irish and EEA candidates, and only go to a non-EEA worker when no suitable applicant emerges. It reflects the Community Preference principle that comes with EU membership.

What the employer must do

1. Advertise the vacancy with the Department of Social Protection Employment Services / EURES network through JobsIreland, for at least 28 continuous days.
2. Advertise the same vacancy on a second online platform, also for at least 28 continuous days. Since the Employment Permits Act 2024, print newspaper advertising is no longer required — the legislation now allows any online platform whose principal purpose is publishing job offers.
3. Include in both notices: a description of the employment, the employer’s name, the minimum annual remuneration, the location or locations, and the hours of work.
4. Submit the permit application within 90 days of first publication — extended to 120 days where the employer is a third-level institution.

The Department is explicit that the advertisement must not be amended or extended at any point during those 28 days, on either platform. Editing the salary line on day 12 because someone spotted an error resets the clock.

When no advertising is needed at all

The test is waived where the occupation sits on the Critical Skills Occupations List; where the job pays at least €68,911 a year; where Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland has recommended the offer for one of their client companies; where the role is caring for a person with exceptional medical needs whom the applicant has already been caring for; and where the applicant previously held a General Employment Permit and was made redundant within the past six months, provided the Department was notified of that redundancy within four weeks of dismissal.

KEY POINT
That €68,911 waiver is genuinely useful and almost never mentioned. For senior roles, paying above it removes a month from the timeline and eliminates an entire category of refusal risk.

Budget for the Ireland work permit fees — and know what comes back

Application type	Duration	Fee
New permit	6 months or less	€500
New permit	Over 6 months, up to 24 months	€1,000
Renewal	6 months or less	€750
Renewal	Over 6 months, up to 36 months	€1,500

Note the direction of travel: renewing costs more than applying. A worker who takes a two-year permit and then renews for three years pays €2,500 in departmental fees across five years, before any visa, registration or legal costs.

If an application is refused, 90% of the fee is refunded. There is a quirk worth understanding: the refund goes to the applicant, not to whoever paid. Where an employer pays the fee but the employee is named as the applicant, the refund issues to the employee.

More importantly, section 55 of the Employment Permits Act 2024 makes it unlawful for an employer who is the applicant, or any agent acting for them, to deduct the application cost from the worker’s pay or to recover it from the worker afterwards. If a prospective employer proposes to take the fee out of your first months’ wages, that arrangement is not permitted.

There are also fee waivers in certain categories, and renewal is free in one specific case — a worker who has been in continuous employment with the same employer for five years or more can apply for a renewal permit of unlimited duration with no fee.

Prepare the documents and apply on Employment Permits Online

Either the worker or the employer can apply. The permit issues to the worker, with a certified copy sent to the employer, and it authorises employment only in the occupation and at the location or locations named on the permit.

Timing is the part people underestimate. The Department requires applications to be received at least 12 weeks before the proposed employment start date. Add the 28 days of advertising in front of that and a realistic planning horizon is four to five months from job offer to first day of work.

Applications go through Employment Permits Online. The Department publishes a General Employment Permit checklist, and working through it before submission is worth the hour — incomplete applications sit in the queue and then generate information requests rather than decisions.

The process runs in up to three stages. The application is received and queued by employer type, with Trusted Partner employers processed on a separate and faster track than standard employers. It then reaches a decision maker, who may request additional information — you get 28 days to respond. If refused, you have 28 days to submit a review on the prescribed form, which is considered by a separate, more senior official. A confirmed refusal does not block a fresh application later.

Handle the visa, arrival and immigration registration

The permit is not permission to live in Ireland. This distinction causes real problems.

If you are from a visa-required country, you apply to your local Irish embassy or consulate for an entry visa after the permit is granted, using the online form at the Immigration Service Delivery site. Visa-required or not, entry remains at the discretion of the immigration officer at the port, so carry the original permit and supporting documents in hand luggage.

Once in Ireland, every non-EEA permit holder must register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau. The Department warns that delays in registering can affect later applications for long-term residency and citizenship, so this is not an errand to postpone. Immigration permission should then be renewed at least a month before it expires to avoid a gap in lawful presence.

One planning point for families: spouses, partners and dependants of General Employment Permit holders are not eligible for a Dependant Employment Permit. Each must qualify and apply for a permit in their own right. That is a significant difference from the Critical Skills route and should shape which permit a household aims for.

Understand the rules that apply after you start

The nine-month rule. A first-time permit holder is expected to stay with the initial employer for nine months. Under the Employment Permits Regulations 2024, a permit for a different employer cannot be considered before nine months have elapsed since employment commenced. The Department frames this as balancing the employer’s recruitment investment against not binding the worker indefinitely. Exceptions exist for medical doctors on six-month rotations, for redundancy, and where unforeseen circumstances fundamentally change the employment relationship. After nine months you may move, subject to a fresh application.

Redundancy. Notify the Employment Permits Section on the prescribed form within four weeks of dismissal. You then have six months to find alternative employment. Miss the four-week notification and you lose the Labour Market Needs Test waiver that would otherwise apply to your next offer.

Changes and cancellation. Short-time working or any change to the permit’s terms must be notified, or renewal will be affected. If employment ends for any reason, the Department must be told within four weeks and a copy of the permit returned — failure to do so is an offence for both employer and permit holder.

The five-year horizon. A permit issues for up to 24 months initially and can be extended by a further three years. After five years of consecutive valid permits and lawful work, many holders no longer need a permit at all and can approach the Department of Justice for a temporary Stamp 4, which removes the employer tie completely. That is the destination worth planning toward from day one.

Printable Checklist

☐ Job title and duties checked against the Ineligible Occupations List
☐ Correct salary tier identified (€36,605 / €32,691 / €34,009)
☐ Basic salary alone clears the threshold, benefits excluded
☐ Hourly rate clears the National Minimum Wage
☐ Employer registered with Revenue and trading in Ireland
☐ 50:50 rule satisfied or a documented exemption applies
☐ JobsIreland / EURES advertisement live for 28 continuous days
☐ Second online platform advertisement live for 28 continuous days
☐ Both adverts contain all five required details, unedited throughout
☐ Application submitted within 90 days of first publication
☐ Application filed at least 12 weeks before start date
☐ Fee paid, named applicant agreed, no salary deduction arranged
☐ Entry visa applied for, if required
☐ GNIB registration booked for arrival week
☐ Nine-month rule and redundancy notification deadlines noted

What to do next

1. Download the Ineligible Occupations List from the Department’s site and search your exact job title today — before any other step.
2. Ask your prospective employer three questions in writing: do you meet the 50:50 rule, have you started the 28-day advertising, and who will be the named applicant.
3. Calculate your contracted basic salary against the correct tier and get the figure confirmed in the offer letter.
4. Work backwards from your intended start date: subtract 12 weeks for processing, then another 4 weeks for advertising, and set your real deadline.
5. Check the Department’s current processing dates page before giving notice on any existing job.
6. Verify every figure in this guide against the official source before you file — thresholds move under the roadmap and the next phase is already scheduled.

FAQ