Work Permit Renewal Ireland

If you have an Irish work permit you may be eligible for a renewal application. However, not all work permits are necessarily eligible.

You are most likely eligible if you hold one of the following permits:

• General Employment Permit
• Intra-Company Transfer Permit
• Contract for Services Employment Permit
• Dependent Employment Permit.

You must also fit the following criteria:

• You continue to work for the employer that is listed on your current permit and can prove you have received a job offer to continue working with the company
• You can supply all supporting documentation required in the application
• You can prove that you satisfied the terms of your current permit, including annual salary terms
• Your employer can prove they intend to keep you as an employee in Ireland
• You have not committed any offences that break Irish or immigration law.

You will unlikely be granted employment permit renewal if:

• You hold any other type of work permit than the four listed above
• You no longer have an employer or are employed by a different employer than the one stated on your permit, or you change jobs regularly
• You cannot prove that you satisfied the terms of your current permit.

Most Irish employment permits require your employer to pass a Labour Market Needs Test. This policy ensures that job opportunities are offered first and foremost to its Irish national population before seeking foreign employees to fill positions in Irish-based organisations.

The Labour Market Needs Test requires employers to advertise a job vacancy:

• With the Department of Social Protection Employment Services/EURES employment network for at minimum of 4 weeks, and
• in a national newspaper for at minimum of 3 days, and
• in either an online employment website or local newspaper for 3 days.

If you have been working lawfully in Ireland on an employment permit for longer than 5 years, you may not need to apply for another permit and could be eligible to apply for Stamp 4.

Stamp 4 allows you to work in Ireland in any profession without an employment business, and also allows you to operate a business, access state funds, and accrue time spent in Ireland that eventually can qualify you for citizenship.

Other conditions that may make you eligible for Stamp 4 include:

• Living and working in Ireland with a valid Critical Skills Employment permit for 2 years, or
• Living and working in Ireland as a researcher under a valid Hosting Agreement for 2 years.

You may also be eligible for other stamp options; each person has a unique set of circumstances and there are many options available within the Irish immigration system to support different situations.

We understand that the Irish immigration system is complicated, and it can be difficult to understand what your next steps should be. We can help. You can contact IAS today online, or call us on +353 061 518 025 for expert legal advice on working and living in Ireland.

General Employment Permits are usually offered for a 2 year period. Assuming you meet the criteria, you can then renew the permit for up to three more years.

Staying in Ireland with a General Employment Permit for 5 years will make you eligible for long-term residency.

Once you have completed one year of work in Ireland on a work permit, you can become eligible to bring your family to live with you in Ireland. You must be able to prove that you can financially support your family and will not require government social welfare payments to support you.

Unlimited Employment Permits are offered to foreign nationals who have been in continuous employment with the same employer for five consecutive years or longer. This permit is only offered under these circumstances with the following work permits:

• General Employment Permit
• Reactivation Permit
• Sport and Cultural Permit.

If you meet the eligibility criteria to renew your work permit, then you can proceed with the application by applying online. You will require all the relevant documents that you need for your initial employment permit and will need to pay a fee, unless you are exempt.

Your permit must:

• Be valid at the time of application and not already expired
• Have less than four months of validity at the time of application.

So long as you apply for renewal whilst your permit is valid, it is okay if your current permit expires while you wait for your new one to be issued.

After receiving your new permit, you will also need to renew your Irish residence permit. You must book an appointment with your local Garda station, or with the Burgh Quay Registration Office if you live in Dublin.

Fees should be paid by the employer or authorised agent connected to the applicant in question seeking renewal of their employment permit.

The fees are outlined below:

Certain applicants may be eligible for a no-fee application under the following conditions:

• The employer or authorised agent holds a confirmed charitable status by the Revenue Commissioners
• Non-EEA nationals who are married to or in a civil partnership with an EEA national
• Applications who

Please note that these prices are subject to change and do not include the cost of legal support, any travel or interviews that may be required during the application process, or any other document renewal, retrieval or translation costs that you may incur for the application.

Oftentimes, your IRP has a similar validation period to your employment permit. Therefore, you may be required to renew your residence permit.

The fee for renewing your Irish Residence Permit varies according to your personal circumstances and whether you are renewing a work permit or applying for a different immigration route to stay in Ireland. Usually, you will either be exempt from paying for your IRP renewal (i.e. the application is free of charge), or you will be required to pay €300.

Reactivation Employment Permits are offered to foreign nationals who were unable to fulfil their employment permit requirements during its validity period through no fault of their own. This includes cases where employment permit holders have experienced poor treatment or exploitation in their workplace.

Reactivation Employment Permits are not easy to obtain, and an applicant will only ever be able to apply for this type of employment permit once unless they can prove particularly exceptional circumstances.