Ireland's Critical Skills Employment Permit: what it requires, and can you stay while it is processed?

Last updated: 16 September 2026

Ireland's Critical Skills Employment Permit is granted for one named job with one named employer in Ireland. The employer named on the form is the one that employs the person. Since 1 March 2026, the pay floor for roles on the Critical Skills Occupations List has been 40,904 euro a year. That figure comes from the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. A permit is not the same as permission to be in the State. The two are decided by different bodies.

This page sets out what the permit asks for. It covers what it asks of the employer, and how the in-country question is framed. It does not say who will be granted a permit. That call sits with the Department, on the facts of each case. For the hiring side rather than the permit side, our Ireland hiring guide hub covers contracts, payroll and leave.

What is the Critical Skills Employment Permit?

It is an Irish work permit for roles the State finds hard to fill at home. It is tied to a job offer, not to a person looking for work. The Department issues it. Its Critical Skills Employment Permit page sets out the terms. Permits are only issued for a job offer that runs for at least two years.

The permit carries conditions once it is granted. The Department expects the person to stay with the first employer for at least nine months. Permit holders can ask Immigration Service Delivery about family reunification. Once a spouse or partner lives in the State, they are free to look for work. The table below puts the published rules in one place.

Source: Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, read on 16 September 2026.

What salary does it require?

There are two pay floors. For a small set of roles on the Critical Skills Occupations List, the floor is 40,904 euro a year. A relevant degree or higher is needed for those roles. For other eligible roles, the floor is higher: more than 68,911 euro a year. Both figures were on the Department's permit page when we read it on 16 September 2026.

The 40,904 euro figure took effect on 1 March 2026. It replaced 38,000 euro. That was part of a staged rise the Department set out on 2 December 2025. The figure is measured against the yearly pay for the job on offer. Floors move. Check the number on the day the form goes in, not one you read months before.

Which jobs qualify?

The Department decides this by list. Roles on the Critical Skills Occupations List are the ones it treats as highly skilled and in short supply. They cover fields such as medicine, ICT, science, finance and business. We are not going to copy the list here. It is reviewed and changed, and the Department's own copy is the one that counts.

Being close to a listed role is not the same as being on it. The job title matters. So do the duties and the qualification, and they are read together. If a role sits outside the list, the higher pay route may still be open. That holds as long as the role is not on the ineligible occupations list. Where a role sits is a question of fact, so check it early.

Who is named as the employer?

One employer is named on the form. That employer is the one that employs the person. The Department asks for a job offer from a genuine employer based and trading in Ireland. That employer must be registered with the Revenue Commissioners. Where it applies, it must also be registered with the Companies Registration Office. The permit is granted against that job and that employer.

Some firms use a third party as the legal employer. That is known as an Employer of Record. The Department also looks at the make-up of the employing firm. Its published rule is that a permit will not be granted unless half or more of the firm's staff are EEA nationals. There are some exceptions for qualifying start-ups. Whether a given structure meets these rules turns on the facts, and it is not safe to assume either way. The right answer depends on your situation. Talk to an expert at Teamed to work through yours.

Can you stay in Ireland while it is processed?

This is the part most often got wrong, and the reason is worth knowing. A work permit and permission to be in the State are two different things. They are granted by two different bodies. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment issues the work permit. The Department of Justice deals with permission to enter and to remain, through Immigration Service Delivery.

The Department says it plainly on its own permit page: "An employment permit is not a Residence Permission." It adds that a person from a visa required country should then apply for an entry visa. That request goes to their local Irish embassy or consulate. Because a permit is not a residence permission, a pending form does not by itself change what your current permission allows.

So we will not give you a rule here. There is no single rule that fits every case. It depends on the permission a person already holds, and on where they are when they apply. Read the Immigration Service Delivery guidance on coming to work in Ireland. Then take advice on the permission held today. If someone is already in Ireland on a short stay, do not assume a pending permit changes what that stay allows. The right answer depends on your situation. Talk to an expert at Teamed to work through yours.

How long does a decision take?

The Department publishes how far back it is working. As of 11 September 2026, the date stated on that page, it had reached Critical Skills forms received on 3 September 2026. We read the page on 16 September 2026. Other permit types sat much further back on the same day.

That date is a queue position, not a promise. Forms are handled in date order of receipt, once the form and fee are complete. So the clock runs from the day a complete form arrives. Check the current processing dates before you fix a move date. Leave room for the steps that come after the permit, such as an entry visa or registering permission in the State.

Frequently asked questions

Does the permit cover my family?

Permit holders can apply to Immigration Service Delivery for family reunification. Once a spouse or partner lives in the State, they are eligible to seek any job. They can also apply to the Department for a Dependant, Partner or Spouse Employment Permit. That one is currently issued free of charge. Family permission is decided apart from the permit itself.

Is a job offer enough on its own?

No. The offer has to run for at least two years. It has to come from an employer based and trading in Ireland. The pay has to clear the published floor. The person also needs the skills and experience the role calls for. A relevant degree or higher is needed for roles on the Critical Skills Occupations List.

What happens once the permit is granted?

A permit is not permission to be in the State. Depending on nationality, an entry visa may be needed. Permit holders then apply to Immigration Service Delivery for residence permission once they are here. The guidance on registering your immigration permission sets out how that works.

Moving someone to Ireland is two jobs at once: the permit, and the job itself. Our Ireland hiring guide covers the hiring side, from written terms to probation and leave. Teamed employs people in 187+ countries as an Employer of Record. If you are working out how a move to Ireland would work for one of your people, Talk to an Expert at Teamed.