Ireland issued 30,981 work permits to foreigners last year with a 95% approval rate

Indian nationals counted the most of these approval rates. About 11,893 Indians got the work permit, about 38% of the permits issued. Interested applicants from the Philippines and Brazil have been among the top 3 on the list.

Occupational sectors awarded most visas

Ireland has awarded most of the visas to the health and social care sector (10,037). Information and communication remained at the second with 5,009 work permits. Accommodation and goods remained number three with 2,606. The finance and insurance sector remained at number 4 with 2,373. Almost 1,511 visas were issued for other services and activities.

There are different types of employment permits in Ireland. Applicants can choose for themselves the types of categories they are eligible for. 

General Work Permit

An applicant can apply for a general work permit in Ireland if the offered job is:

• Not in a profession on the list of ineligible occupations,
• Paying at least €34,000 per year (from 17 January 2024),
• For a business where more than half of the workers are from outside the EEA. This is called the 50:50 rule.

Critical Skills Work Permit

An applicant can apply for a general work permit in Ireland if the offered job is:

• Paying €64,000 per year and is not on the list of ineligible occupations,
• Paying at least €38,000 per year and on the Critical Skills Occupation List.

There are also other types of work permits that Ireland offers and are as follows:

• Dependant, Partner, Spouse Employment Permit,
• Contract for Service Employment Permit,
• Sport and Cultural Employment Permit,
• Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permits,
• Exchange Agreement Employment Permit,
• Internship Employment Permit,
• Reactivation Employment Permit,
• Seasonal Employment Permit,
• Hosting Agreement for Academic Researchers.