How does General Employment Permit work in Ireland, and who qualifies?

The General Employment Permit covers a wider range of roles than the Critical Skills permit, including occupations that are not on the Critical Skills Occupations List but are also not on the Ineligible List of Occupations. To qualify you need a job offer meeting the minimum salary for the permit, with the application made to DETE by either the employer or the employee.

The key difference from the Critical Skills route is the labour-market needs test: in most cases the employer must first advertise the role to EEA workers before the permit can be granted, unless an exemption applies. The role must also fall outside the Ineligible List of Occupations.

Salary thresholds and the occupation lists are reviewed regularly, so confirm the current details on enterprise.gov.ie before proceeding. ACME can check whether your role is eligible, whether the labour-market needs test applies, and whether the Critical Skills permit might be the stronger option.