Visas & immigration: Ireland

Non-EEA workers route through one of two salary-gated employment permits toward a Stamp 4; EU/EEA/Swiss citizens skip the system entirely.

The employment permit system

Ireland’s employment permits are administered by DETE (the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment) through the online Employment Permits system. As of 1 March 2026, the two main permits carry higher salary floors than in prior years: the Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) now requires a minimum annual salary of €40,904 (up from €38,000), while the broader General Employment Permit (GEP) requires at least €36,605 (up from €34,000) — part of a published multi-year roadmap of gradual increases. CSEP is reserved for roles on the Highly Skilled Occupations List (engineering, ICT, science, some healthcare roles) or any role meeting the salary floor, does not require a labour market needs test, and lets your spouse/partner and dependants apply for immediate family reunification with their own right to work. GEP covers a much longer list of eligible occupations, generally requires the employer to run a 4-week labour market needs test (advertising the role domestically and in the EEA first) unless exempted, and is renewable rather than permanent.

Stamps: what your card actually means

Your IRP card carries a "Stamp" number that defines your rights, not your visa type: Stamp 1 covers most employment-permit holders (work only for the named employer/role); Stamp 2 covers registered students (20 hours/week during term, 40 hours/week during official college holidays); Stamp 4 grants full access to the labour market with no permit needed at all, reached via 2 years on a Critical Skills Permit, roughly 5 years on a General Permit (after renewals), marriage to an Irish/EU citizen, or certain protection statuses; and Stamp 5 signals long-term residency, available after 5 years of aggregate legal residence, and removes most remaining restrictions and renewal hassle.

Working Holiday Authorisation

Ireland runs reciprocal working-holiday agreements with 10 countries, each with its own age band and annual quota: Argentina (18–35, 200 places), Australia (18–35), Canada (18–35, up to a 2-year stay — the only partner with the extended term), Chile (18–30, 100 places), Hong Kong (18–30), Japan (18–25, extendable to 30 if still in full-time education or employment), New Zealand (18–30), and Taiwan (18–30, the largest quota at 400 places). The United States runs on a different logic — the US–Ireland Work and Travel (J-1-style) agreement is open to those currently enrolled in full-time third-level education or graduated within the past 12 months, rather than a flat age band. All these authorisations grant full, unrestricted work rights — no job offer or employer sponsorship needed before you land.

Student route: Stamp 2 basics

Non-EEA students need an offer from a course on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP), private medical insurance, and evidence of roughly €7,000 in accessible funds for living costs on top of tuition. Stamp 2 permits 20 hours of work per week during term and 40 hours during summer and Christmas/Easter breaks — enough to meaningfully offset living costs but not to self-fund a degree.