Work In Ireland 2025 – Visa Sponsorship Guide
Wanna become a professional in Emerald Isle? Ireland is also a very attractive location to non-EU citizens and has booming tech, pharma and healthcare industries. But to get visa sponsorship, an Irish Employment Permit, one will have to navigate an extremely specific system.
Two Pillars of Irish Sponsorship: CSEP vs. GEP
The employment permits in Ireland under the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) are aimed at filling provable labour shortages. The eligibility of your occupation lies in the category of Critical Skills or the General category.
Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP)
The CSEP is a standard of high-qualified professionals and it has the fast-track residency Ireland CSEP advantages.
The General Employment Permit (GEP)
The GEP is applicable to occupations that are not listed on the Critical Skills list, but are not listed on the Ineligible Occupations List either. This will demand that the employer should be able to demonstrate that there is no local/EEA worker.
The Post-offer Application Process
When you have your offer and the LMNT (where necessary) passed, then you start with the permit application.
- Application Submission: The employer or the employee can submit the application through the Employment Permits Online System (EPOS) to the DETE.
- Processing fee: The fees to fill the Irish work permit application are normally 2025 which is normally 1,000 Euro as new 2-year permit. The employer is under law not entitled to charge the employee this fee.
- Processing Work Permit processing time Ireland hospitality sector 2025 and other GEPs The processing time is typically 610 weeks, although CSEPs are often significantly shorter.
- Visa Application (Where applicable): You will then need to apply visa (entry visa, which is Long stay D visa) to the approved permit letter in case you belong to a visa-required country.
Doing Business in Ireland: Residency and Logistics
Ending your Ireland work visa process timeline 2025 does not happen when you land!
- Registration: You will have to be registered with the Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) within 90 days of arrival, to obtain your Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card (previously referred to as GNIB card). This is a registration of your permission (Stamp 1 work visa Ireland registration). The IRP costs are normally around 300 euros.
- Family Reunification: Since you have a CSEP you may start the process of the Bringing family to Ireland with the work permits applications. In the case of a GEP, it will take 12 months before your family will be allowed to join you.
- Long-Term Status: You should aim at Getting Stamp 4 following Critical Skills Permit Ireland (21 months) or following GEP (57 months), and this gives you an independent right to live and work in Ireland.
FAQs
So what will become of me when my work is not listed in the Critical Skills List?
You need to submit the application of the General Employment Permit (GEP) guide Ireland 2025. This implies that the job has to be paid a minimum of 34000, it should not be on the Ineligible List, and the employer must pass the LMNT.
Who pays the permit application fee?
Either the employee or his employer can pay the fee (€1,000 to obtain a new GEP/CSEP). Nevertheless, the employer cannot legally subtract the fee in the wages of the employee or make him or her pay it back.
Is it possible to change jobs with a work permit?
Yes. CSEP and GEP holders have to generally stay with the company at which they have started (21 months in case of CSEP, 9 months in case of GEP). Once that you can switch the employer, though you will have to seek another permit (or amendment, depending on the position).
What is the average time 2025 Ireland visa work visa process search to arrival?
In actual sense, it is a 4-6 months process where the initial stage is beginning the job-searching process and then, LMNT (28days), permit processing (6-10 weeks), and visa/registration are included in Ireland.
What is the 50:50 rule for GEP?
The employer should have a 50:50 ratio, i.e. at least 50 percent of the company employees should be the citizens of the EEA (EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein). New companies (less than two years of trading) are usually excepted to this rule.
Final Thought
Ireland does have high growth prospects especially in areas where advanced skills are taken into consideration. With the knowledge of the difference between the CSEP and GEP, the knowledge of the Ineligible Occupations List, and strategic targeting of employers to the List of companies sponsoring work visas in Ireland you can greatly increase your success rate of successfully moving and starting your new life in Ireland.
Disclaimer
The information about the job is provided with the educational and informational purposes. Irish Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) and Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) determine the requirements of the Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) and General Employment Permit (GEP) in the form of minimum wage levels, the Ineligible Occupations List and the application process. Such regulations are dynamic and can change in particular with the changes in the roadmap in 2025. It is always important to check any specific information in the official government websites before you apply to any job or make any great relocation decisions.