General immigration policies and applying for an employment permit.
Ireland has a clear division between the application of economic migration and general immigration policies and thus a non-EEA national wishing to seek permission to arrive in Ireland and work must interact with the Department of Justice for entry and residence permission, and, depending on their nationality, visa requirements.
In order to work in Ireland non-EEA nationals require a valid employment permit or relevant immigration permission from the Minister for Justice which allows them to reside and work in the State without the requirement for an employment permit.
An employment permit is not permission to reside. Any person wishing to enter the State, whether visa required or not, is subject to the usual immigration controls at the port of entry. You may be required to produce relevant immigration documents, including your employment permit, for inspection by an Immigration Officer when you are entering the State. Entry to the State is always at the discretion of the Immigration Officer.
Following a successful application for an employment permit, if visa required, an applicant should apply to his/her local Irish Embassy/Consulate for an entry visa. Contact details for Irish Embassies/Consulates and a list of visa required countries may be found on the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs at dfa.ie.
In order to be lawfully resident in Ireland, it is a requirement that all non-EEA nationals in possession of an employment permit must register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau. It is in the best interest of employment permit holders to register as soon as possible following arrival. Delay in registering with the Garda National Immigration Bureau could affect applications in the granting of long term residency and/or citizenship. Immigration permission to remain should, where applicable, be renewed at least one month before its expiry date, in order to avoid unlawful presence in the State.
Working Holiday Authorisation
Holders of a Working Holiday Authorisation (WHA), as per the terms and conditions of their WHA, must leave the State on expiry of the WHA and cannot apply for an employment permit whilst in the State. The foreign national may consider submitting an application for an employment permit from outside the State, upon expiration or cancellation of their WHA, and on foot of an eligible job offer, which will be considered subject to the usual criteria applying under the Employment Permits Acts and Regulations.
Applications from non-EEA nationals already legally resident in the State
Non-EEA nationals holding valid immigration permission, who have been offered employment in an eligible occupation will be allowed to apply for an Employment Permit whilst already legally resident in the State. The non EEA national must hold a valid immigration stamp namely, Stamps 1, 1A, 2, 2A and 3 immigration permissions.
In this instance, if an application for an Employment Permit is successful and on receipt of the employment permit, the persons concerned must register their change of status with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). All applications for Employment Permits are subject to qualifying criteria.
Non-EEA nationals resident in Ireland must at all times have:
- current permission from the Immigration Authorities to be present in the State, and
- an up to-date passport.