Immigration Services Ireland

The permit was created for occupations where there is a shortage of high level strategic skills in Ireland. The Green Card Permit is issued for a period of two years after which you are able to apply for permanent residency. To apply you must meet one of the following criteria:

An annual salary of €60,000 or more, excluding bonuses, for any occupation

OR

Be employed in a selective job with an annual salary range of €30,000-€59,999, excluding bonuses, for a restricted number of occupations in Information Technology, Healthcare, Industry, Engineers, Researchers/Scientists and Business/Finance.

You must have the relevant third level qualifications; skills and experience required for the employment and must be able to provide supporting documentation.

You will also need to be in possession of a job offer from a company registered with the Irish authorities, the offer must contain a full description of the proposed role, a starting date, salary details and information regarding the qualifications, skills or experience required for the role. You are also required to be on the Irish payroll.

There are three important benefits to a Green Card permit:

• Allows for immediate family re-unification

• No labour market needs test

• Processing time is approximately 3 to 4 weeks

Green Card permits are most suitable to those relocating employees who wish to remain permanently in Ireland.

Work Permit

If a Green Card isn't applicable and you're coming to work in Ireland, you will need to obtain a work permit to be able to work legally, regardless of how long you intend to stay. It will allow you to work for a named employer in an occupation specified in the permit. The permit can be issued for six months or less or for 2 years, after which it can be renewed from six months up to 36 months. It is possible to renew indefinitely after 5 years.

The employee or employer can apply for a Work Permit. In order to qualify you must meet one of the following salary based criteria:

The salary, excluding bonuses, being offered is €30,000 - €60,000

OR

In exceptional cases occupations with a salary below €30,000 will be considered.

The Irish Government will not consider granting a work permit for many employment categories including Clerical and Administrative, general operatives, labourers, operator and production staff, domestic workers, work riders (horse racing), sales staff, all drivers including HGV, childcare workers, hotel, tourism and catering except chefs. If you are considering the type of permit we will check to ensure your occupation is acceptable to the authorities.

The Employment Permit subject to the following condition:

A labour market needs test is required before any work permit is processed. This means that the position must be advertised on the Fas/Eures employment network for 4 weeks and in local and national newspapers for 6 days. It is the company's responsibility to prove to the Irish authorities that the position cannot be filled by an Irish/EEA national.

The Employment Permits process typically takes 12 weeks but this will vary based upon individual circumstances.

It is important to note that this type of employment permit does not allow for family re-unification for 12 months, and thus may be only suitable for single employees.

Romanian and Bulgarian nationals require a work permit for the first 12 months. There is no further requirement to renew after that. They also are not required to have a residency permit.

This option is available if you're transferring from a position in a company that is situated outside the EU, and you're moving within the company into an EU country. The scheme is only open to senior management, key personnel or participants in a training programme.

The authorities will only issue ICT permits for participants of training programmes for one year only. This training must be of a highly specialised nature or subject to extenuating circumstances. They are not renewable at the end of this period.

You must be earning a salary of at least €40,000 and have been full time employed for at least 12 months with the overseas company before the transfer. ICT permits are not issued to company consultants. You may remain on your home country payroll.

The permit will allow the company in Ireland to employ the applicant for the duration of the permit, when the permit expires the employee must return to their country of origin. An Intra-Company Transfer Permit can be issued for six months or less or 24 months or up to a maximum of 36 months. You do not build up rights for permanent residency with an ICT permit.

• This permit is suitable for personnel coming to Ireland for a clearly defined period.
• The Intra company Transfer is subject to the following conditions
• The sending company must prove a direct link with the host company

The number of transferred employees must not exceed 5% of the total Irish workforce. Exceptions are made for start up companies but the company will be required to prove that Irish personnel have been hired before an ICT is renewed.

The process typically takes 4 weeks.

The spouse and dependents of a person that has permission to work in Ireland can only work legally if they are in possession of a valid Employment Permit.

Spouse and dependents that meet Irish government conditions may apply under this scheme. Firstly they must be legally resident in Ireland and they also must have a Green Card Permit, a valid Work Permit, or Intra-Company Transfer permit and they must be working within the terms of their permit.

This permit is subject to the following:

• The process typically takes 6 weeks but this will vary based upon individual circumstances
• A spousal/dependent work permit will be issued for the period up to the expiry date of the original employment permit holder
• There is no labour market test required for this type of permit

An employment permit allows you to work in Ireland; a residence permit allows you to live in the state. It is the final but important part of the immigration process for living and working in Ireland.

You are required to register with the authorities as soon as possible after entering Ireland with your employment permit.

The process can take from 2 hrs up to 4 hrs. Your passport will be stamped, you will be fingerprinted and provided with an identity card on the same day.

It is advisable for your spouse (if applicable) to accompany you when you register. You will be required to show your original employment permit, passport, second form of photo ID, and marriage certificate (in English). There is a fee of €150 per registration payable by credit card only.

Your residency permit is issued for the same length of time as your employment permit, and similarly, will need to be renewed if necessary.

• Establishing a joint venture or setting up a new company.
• Exploring business opportunities or attending seminars.
• Attend meetings, discussions to provide business service support, or board meetings.
• Recruiting workforce for Irish company.
• Attending exhibitions, trade and business fairs.
• Experts/specialists on a visit of short duration in connection with an ongoing project for monitoring the progress of work, conduct meetings with Irish customers and/or to provide high level technical guidance.
• Pre or post sales activities not amounting to actual execution of any contract or project.
• Candidate must not be engaged in economic activity on behalf of the company.
• Short stay of between 5 and 10 days.

Business visas can be secured in the home country prior to travelling to Ireland.

Business Permission

If you intend to come to Ireland in order to establish a business you will require the permission of the Minister for Justice and Equality and must obtain Business Permission.

When applying for Business Permission, you must create employment (other than your own) and demonstrate you are making a personal investment of at least €300,000.

Before submitting an application you should ensure that you can meet the following criteria:

1. You must have not less than €300,000 of your own money available to make an investment into business in Ireland. You will have to supply documentary evidence from your financial institution confirming that the funds are available to you. If the funds are held in Ireland, the financial institution used by you must be regulated by the Financial Services Authority of Ireland (CBFSAI). The Financial Services Authority of Ireland is the official financial regulatory body in Ireland.
2. The proposed business must create employment for at least two EEA nationals for a new project or, at the very least, maintain employment in an existing business.
3. The proposed business must add to the commercial activity and competitiveness of Ireland.
4. The proposed business must be a viable trading concern and provide you with sufficient income to maintain and accommodate you and your dependants without resorting to social assistance or paid employment for which a work permit would be required.

The new company must be registered with the authorities and in receipt of an Employer Registered Number and Company Registered Number, an office premises (virtual or PO numbers are not accepted) and Irish contact details before any applications for an employment permit can be made. The employment created for the EEA nationals must of senior level, i.e. Director.

Exemptions:

You may be exempt to the requirement to obtain Business Permission if you are one of the following:

• Dependent relatives of EEA nationals exercising a valid right to reside in Ireland.
• Persons who have been granted permission to remain in the State on one of the following grounds:
    - Persons with permission to remain as the spouse of an Irish national.
    - Persons with permission to remain in Ireland on the basis that they are the parent of an Irish born child (an Irish citizen).

It should be noted that other than the exemptions listed above there are no exemptions to the investment requirement of €300,000

With the exception of Spousal/dependent work permits, all employment permits have government fees. The maximum fee is €1500 for an employment permit of 36 months. These fees are subject to change, we will confirm them when prior to your application being submitted.

How do I pay the government fees?

Fees are payable by cheque drawn within the Irish banking system. This may not be possible in every circumstance and we will assist you if this is an issue.

Can I change my employment status when I am in Ireland?

It is not possible to change employment permit status whilst in Ireland.

Is the permit issued to me or my employer?

The employment permit is issued to the employee and a copy to the employer.

Who pays the expenses associated with my application?

Employers may not seek to recover any expenses associated with an employment permit application from the employee. Nor can they retain any personal documents belonging to the employee and provided for the purposes of the application.

How is my application assessed?

Each application is assessed on its own merits and you may be asked to provide additional clarification or documentation during the process. This does not reflect negatively on the application.

Can my application be fast-tracked?

The application process is transparent and therefore there is no option of "jumping the queue" and having your application assessed in less time.