Critical Skills Employment Permit Ireland – All You Need to Know

Posted on October 11, 2021 | Last Updated on January 11, 2024

Ireland has a high demand for highly qualified migrants in a variety of business areas and industry sectors.

The Critical Skills Employment Permit was created by the Irish government to help migrants with in-demand skills make the move to Ireland, whether temporarily or permanently.

In this article, we’ll cover important information you need to know about the Irish Critical Skills Employment Permit.

What is a Critical Skills Employment Permit in Ireland?

The Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) was created to enable foreign workers to relocate to Ireland for work. When compared with the General Employment Permit, the CSEP also has special benefits for employees in Ireland.

The Green Card employment permit has also been replaced by the Critical Skills Employment Permit. It is intended to attract highly skilled workers into the labour market and encourage them to stay.

Other common characteristics of work permits apply as well. For instance, employment permit holders are subject to the full remit of Irish Employment Rights law.

Furthermore, the permit holders may change employers after serving one year with the first employer as mentioned on the employment permit. This is subject to obtaining a new employment permit.

While the job offer must be for a period of two years, the foreign national is expected to stay with the initial company for at least a year.

How long does it take to get a Critical Skills Employment permit?

In general, you should apply for your permit, no later than three months before you plan to start working in Ireland. This is to allow sufficient time for your application to be processed. Your application will be placed in a queue and processed in the order in which it was submitted.

An application for an employment permit can go through up to three stages:

1. Awaiting processing – After an application is submitted, it is placed in the appropriate processing queue based on the Employer type (Trusted Partner or Standard).
2. Processing stage – During this stage, the application is reviewed by a case officer and further information or documents may be requested. If additional details are required, they must be provided within 28 days. The processor will then either approve or reject the application for a variety of reasons.
3. The review stage (only in case the application is refused) – If an applicant desires to have a rejection decision reviewed, he or she must request that within 28 days of receiving the decision using the Submission of a Decision for Review Form. A separate and more senior official will assess the request.

Read Also:
How to Renew Your Irish Employment Permit

Can family members of the Critical Skills Employment Permit holders move to Ireland, too? With what type of Irish visa?

If you are a Critical Skills Employment Permit holder, your immediate family members can join you in Ireland without having to wait a prescribed period of time.

Your spouse or de facto partner, as well as any dependent children, can apply to come to Ireland immediately.

Immediate family members include spouse/de facto partner and dependent children. A de facto partner is someone with whom you have a committed relationship that is similar to marriage, but you are not married.

You are not required to have been married for a specific period of time. You must be able to demonstrate that you have been in the relationship for at least two years if you have a de facto partner.

In most circumstances, you must be able to demonstrate that you can support your family.

Is there a list of eligible countries for the Critical Skills Employment Permit?

All non-EEA nationals who meet the permit and employer requirements can have a CSEP application submitted for them.

What are the eligibility criteria for the Critical Skills Employment Permit? What are the application requirements?

When evaluating Critical Skills Employment Permit applications, the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment consider a number of factors, including:

• A job offer from a bona fide employer-based and trading in Ireland who is registered with the Revenue Commissioners and, where applicable, the Companies Registration Office/Register of Friendly Societies.
• The occupation must not be included in the Ineligible Categories List
• There are two minimum remuneration thresholds for a CSEP: €32k and €64k.
• A suitable degree qualification or higher is necessary for a limited number of ‘strategically important’ occupations on the Critical Skills Occupations List and for them the minimum annual salary must be at least €32,000
• If the occupation is not on the Critical Skills Occupation List or doesn’t have a relevant degree, the minimum annual salary must be at least €64,000
• The individual must possess the qualifications, skills, and experience for their position.
• The prospective employee must have received a two-year job offer from the prospective employer in the relevant occupation

How long is the Critical Skills Employment Permit valid for?

The CSEP is issued for a two-year period. Those who have received a job offer for a position that will last less than two years must apply for a General employment permit.

A CSEP holder may change employers before being employed under the permit for at least 12 months, but only if they are made redundant or unanticipated circumstances occur that “fundamentally affect the employment relationship”.

What benefits does the permit provide?

The Critical Skills Employment Permit provides permit holders and companies with a number of benefits, including:

• The family reunification scheme allows family members to join people who have a CSEP.
• When their CSEP expires, they can apply for authorization to stay and work in Ireland without having to obtain an employment permit.
• Spouses/De facto partners who come to Ireland through the unification scheme can request the right to work for any employer.
• Employers are not required to complete a labour market test, which shortens the recruitment process and lowers the administrative burden and cost of overseas hiring.

What are critical jobs in Ireland? What occupations are on the Critical Skilled Occupation List?

The Department’s website has a complete list of qualified professions. Here is a list of some of the positions included in the list:

• Civil Engineers, Structural Engineers and Site Engineers
• Construction Project Managers
• Mechanical and Electrical Engineers
• Certain Electronic, Design, Product, and Process Engineers
• Architects and Architectural Technologist
• Quantity Surveyors
• Site Engineers
• certain Quality and Regulatory Professionals
• certain Chemical and Physical Scientists
• a number of ICT professionals
• Medical practitioners, certain Nursing and Midwifery Professionals
• Chartered/Qualified Accountants
• Management Consultants, Business Analysts, Financial Project Management professionals

How do I get a Critical Skills Employment Permit for Ireland?

To obtain a Critical Skills Employment Permit for Ireland, you must have a job offer for appropriate employment, possess the necessary qualifications and/or abilities to perform the role, meet the salary requirements for the position, and have no immigration past that could lead to denial.

If your application is granted, you will be able to apply for an employment visa to go to Ireland at your local Irish consulate/visa office.

Of course, applying for any kind of work permit or visa has its own specifics. The process can be difficult and time-consuming, and this is where Visa First can assist you!

You can apply for your Critical Skills Employment Permit for Ireland with the help of the global visa specialists at Visa First.

Our employment permit and visa experts will help you in your efforts to get an employment permit.

They will review all your documentation before submission to ensure the relevant requirements are met in order to increase your chances of receiving a positive decision and minimize any potential delays.

Visa First has over 17 years of experience, so you can be confident that you’ll be in good hands and that the application process will be simple and quick.

Feeling motivated to experience what it’s like to work in Ireland? If so, waste no more time and get your Critical Skills Employment Permit!

*Reviewed by a visa expert.