Critical Skills Employment Permits are available for two types of roles:
- If the role is included on the Critical Skills Occupations List, and has a minimum annual salary of €38,000; or
- If the role is not included on the Ineligible List of Occupations for Employment Permits, and has a minimum annual salary of €64,000.
Critical Skills Employment Permits differ from General Employment Permits in a number of ways, including:
- Labour Market Needs Test: the Labour Market Needs Test does not apply to Critical Skills Employment Permit applications, meaning the role does not need to be advertised for 28 days before the application can be made.
- Contract Duration: a Critical Skills Employment Permit is only available for roles where the contract offered is at least 2 years in length.
- Degree Qualification: where the role is on the Critical Skills Occupations List, a degree qualification which is directly relevant to that role is a requirement for a Critical Skills Employment Permit – relevant experience alone will not be sufficient.
- Family members: the holder of a Critical Skills Employment Permit can apply for their qualifying family members to join them in Ireland immediately, unlike with a General Employment Permit where a person must wait 12 months.
- Renewal: unlike a General Employment Permit, a Critical Skills Employment Permit does not need to be renewed – once a person has worked in Ireland for 21 months on a Critical Skills Employment Permit, they will be eligible to apply for a Stamp 4 permission. A Stamp 4 permission allows a person to work in Ireland without needing to hold an employment permit.
If you would like our assistance with a Critical Skills Employment Permit application or are seeking advice on employment permits in general, please do not hesitate to contact us at 01 873 5012 or info@mcgrathmullan.ie and our immigration team will be happy to assist you.\
More helpful articles by McGrath Mullan:
- How to Apply for an Employment Permit in Ireland: A Guide for Employers
- Insurance Claims and Bad Weather – What to Do First, and When to Contact a Solicitor
- Transfer of First-Time Immigration Registration to ISD
- E-Vetting: Electronic background check process for Irish Citizenship applications
- Deferral of Minimum Annual Remuneration (MAR) increase for Employment Permits