Ireland Critical Skills Employment Permit

The threshold depends on your profile

There is no single figure — the amount depends on whether your occupation is on the Critical Skills Occupation List and whether you hold a recent degree.

PROFILE

SALARY FROM

WHAT TO KNOW

Recent graduate (degree in the last 12 mo) + listed occupation

SALARY FROM€36,848/yr

The lowest threshold, but only for a narrow applicant category.

Occupation on the Critical Skills Occupation List

SALARY FROM€40,904/yr

The base threshold since 1 March 2026 (raised from €38,000).

Any occupation off the lists (except ineligible ones)

SALARY FROMfrom €68,911/yr

The threshold itself replaces the occupation-list requirement.

What the full cost consists of

The main cost is the review fee, partly refunded on refusal. Legal representation is separate; the salary itself is not a cost — it is a condition of the job offer.

COST ITEM

RATE

APPLIES TO

Application review fee

RATE€1,000

per application, usually filed by the employer

Refund on refusal

RATE90% of the fee

automatic on a negative decision

Legal representation

RATEmarket rate

per applicant or employer

How the process runs

Job offer from an employer

The employer must offer a position paying at least the relevant threshold — the baseline condition, without which filing is impossible.

Filing the application

The fee is paid at filing — the application enters the review queue.

Review

A decision maker reviews the case and may request further documents with a 28-day response window. Standard turnaround is 4–8 weeks.

Trusted Partners fast track

For accredited employers, turnaround shrinks to 2–4 weeks.

Permit issuance

The permit combines work and residence authorisation — no separate residence card is required.

A good fit if

You have a concrete job offer from an Irish employer at a salary above the relevant threshold.

Your occupation is on the Critical Skills Occupation List — it lowers the required salary and speeds up the process.

You hold a degree from the last 12 months and your occupation is listed — the lowest entry bar.

You want a path to change employers without losing status — allowed 9 months after starting work.

A poor fit if

You have no specific employer ready to offer a position — without a job offer, filing is not possible at all.

The salary is below the relevant threshold and the occupation is on no list.

You are budgeting for the old €38,000 figure — since 1 March 2026 the base threshold is €40,904.

You want to run your own business rather than work for a specific employer.

Who runs this programme

Your request goes to two or three firms from this list. You see exactly which ones before it is sent, and you can exclude any of them.

No matching firms in the directory for this category yet — the list is curated by hand and grows over time.

This is an independent list of firms in the market, not our partners — we do not forward requests to them or receive payment for referrals. Contact them directly via the link.

Frequent questions

Why does the site show €36,848 and not €38,000 or €40,904?

It is not one figure — three different thresholds apply to different profiles. €36,848 is the lowest, for recent graduates in listed occupations. The base threshold for other listed occupations is €40,904 (raised from €38,000 on 1 March 2026). For any other occupation, it is from €68,911.

Who files the application — me or the employer?

Usually the employer files on the applicant’s behalf, though the worker can formally be named as the applicant — in practice the initiative and paperwork sit with the company.

Can you change employers without losing status?

Yes, but not immediately — a change of employer is allowed 9 months after starting work under this permit.

What if the decision is negative?

90% of the fee (€900 of €1,000) is refunded automatically on refusal.

How long does review really take?

Standard is 4–8 weeks; for accredited employers under the Trusted Partners scheme, 2–4 weeks.

Does this permit lead to permanent residence?

Yes — eligibility for permanent residence (Stamp 4) arrives after 60 months of continuous work under the permit, noticeably faster than many European equivalents.

Sources

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) — official Critical Skills Employment Permit page↗MRCI — detailed breakdown of the new salary thresholds from 1 March 2026↗

Figures are for reference only. Verified against official sources on 26 August 2026. A precise quote is issued by the appointed firm after document review. This material is not legal advice, a public offer or investment advice.