Ireland General Employment Permit 2026: minimum salary, labour market test and eligible jobs

A General Employment Permit needs a job offer from a genuine employer that is registered with the Revenue Commissioners and trading in Ireland ¹. All occupations are eligible unless they appear on the Ineligible Occupations List, and every occupation on the Critical Skills list is eligible ¹.

The salary thresholds rose on 1 March 2026: the general minimum went from 34,000 to 36,605 euros, and the lower figure for healthcare assistants, horticulture and meat processing went from 30,000 to 32,691 euros ².

Case	Minimum annual remuneration
Most occupations	36,605 euros 1
Healthcare assistant, home support worker, horticulture worker, meat processor operative	32,691 euros, and at least 16.12 euros an hour 1
Relevant degree from an Irish third level college in the previous 12 months	34,009 euros 1
Job exempt from the labour market needs test on pay alone	68,911 euros 1

Remuneration means basic salary, which must be at least the national minimum wage, plus health insurance premiums paid to an insurer registered with the Health Insurance Authority ¹. The government plans further rises through 2030, linked to average earnings data from the Central Statistics Office ².

The employer must also meet the 50:50 rule: at least half of its employees must be EEA nationals when you apply, with limited waivers for start-ups supported by Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland ¹.

Before most applications, the employer must advertise the job to show that no suitable Irish or EEA worker was found ³. The rules are precise ³:

• The vacancy runs for at least 28 consecutive days with the Department of Social Protection Employment Services and EURES, and on one other online platform.
• The advert states the job description, the employer's name, the minimum annual remuneration, the location and the hours of work.
• The advert must not be amended or extended during the 28 days.
• The permit application must be made within 90 days of the day the notice was first published.

No test is needed when the occupation is on the Critical Skills list, when the offer is 68,911 euros a year or more, when Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland recommends the application for one of its clients, and in two narrow cases: caring for a person with exceptional medical needs whom you already care for, and a former General Employment Permit holder made redundant in the last 6 months whose redundancy was notified to the Department within 4 weeks ¹.

The Ineligible Occupations List in force since 13 May 2026, set by SI 213 of 2026, names the job categories where Ireland has enough Irish and EEA workers ⁴. It uses SOC 2010 codes and lists broad categories, so some jobs inside a category are still eligible ⁴.

The main groups on the list are ⁴:

• Most clerical and administrative roles, including bookkeepers, bank clerks and HR administrators.
• Sales and customer service roles, including sales assistants, cashiers and call centre staff.
• Childcare, personal care and cleaning roles, including care escorts and senior care workers outside disability services.
• Drivers of goods vehicles, vans, buses and taxis, and elementary jobs such as warehouse, security and kitchen work.
• Domestic work in a private home.

Some exceptions matter for applicants from abroad. Chefs are eligible with experience: executive, head and sous chefs with at least 5 years, chef de partie and commis chefs with at least 2 years, outside fast food outlets ⁴. Goods vehicle drivers holding a CE or C1E licence and bus drivers with a D, DE, D1 or D1E licence are outside the ban ⁴.

A few roles on the list have a language exception, and the wording differs by role ⁴:

• Credit control, accounts payable and some call and contact centre roles (customer service and sales with product knowledge, specialist online digital marketing and sales, specialist language support and technical sales support): you are fluent in the official language, other than English, of a state outside the EEA, and an enterprise development agency supports the employment.
• Legal associate professionals: the language must be official in a state outside the EEA and not official in any EEA state, and you need market knowledge of that state.

Hindi, Urdu or Filipino can fit both wordings. Portuguese is official in Brazil and also in Portugal, so it cannot support the legal associate exception; the first group's wording does not exclude languages that are also official in the EEA, so ask the Department how it reads that wording for Portuguese before an employer relies on it.

On 28 May 2026 the government announced that nine occupations would leave the list, including pharmaceutical technicians, dental hygienists, steel fixers, curtain wallers and concrete pump operators ⁵. Check that the change appears on the current list before you rely on it ⁴.

Permit	Fee
New permit up to 6 months	500 euros 1
New permit from 6 to 24 months	1,000 euros 1
Renewal up to 6 months	750 euros 1
Renewal from 6 to 36 months	1,500 euros 1

If the permit is refused, 90% of the fee is refunded, and only to the applicant ¹. You or your employer apply on Employment Permits Online at least 12 weeks before the job starts ¹. Applications are processed in date order; on 6 November 2026 the Department was working on new General Employment Permit applications received on 2 October 2026 ⁶. A decision maker may ask for more information, which you answer within 28 days, and you can ask for a review of a refusal within 28 days ¹.

The permit lets you work. You still need immigration permission. Citizens of India, Pakistan, Nigeria and the Philippines are on Ireland's list of visa required nationalities, so they apply for an entry visa once the permit is granted; Brazil is on the list of nationalities that do not need a visa in advance ⁷. After arrival you must register your immigration permission ¹. Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) expects you to register within 90 days, and first registrations take place at Burgh Quay in Dublin, by an appointment you book after you arrive ^{8 9}. Employment permit holders register on Stamp 1, which requires a valid employment permit; the registration is usually valid for 12 months ^{8 9}. You bring your passport, your employment permit and proof of the job, such as a letter from your employer ⁹. The fee for the Irish Residence Permit card is 300 euros, set by S.I. No. 421/2025 and paid by credit or debit card ⁹.

You are expected to stay with your first employer for at least 9 months before a permit for a new employer can be considered, except in cases such as redundancy ¹. If you are made redundant, notify the Department within 4 weeks; you then have up to 6 months to find a new job ¹.

The first permit lasts up to 24 months and can be renewed for up to 3 more years; apply for the renewal within the 4 months before it expires ¹. After 5 consecutive years on valid General Employment Permits, you contact the Department of Justice to apply for a temporary Stamp 4, which lets you work without a permit ¹. ISD's registration page says you may be eligible after 57 months from the start of your employment in Ireland on the permit ⁹.

Spouses, partners and children of General Employment Permit holders cannot get a Dependant Employment Permit ¹. ISD lists the spouse or de facto partner of a General Employment Permit holder among the people who register on Stamp 1G, a permission that allows work without a separate employment permit ^{9 8}. Family reunification follows the Non-EEA Family Reunification Policy of the Department of Justice, which sets its own conditions.