The critical skills work permit is designed to attract workers where it has been recognized there is a critical shortage of workers in the given area. There is two different routes for a successful critical skills work permit:

Option A

• The job title is on the critical skills occupations list

• The job pays above €40,904 per year

This route is generally aimed but not limited to roles such as engineers, ICT, medicine and sciences.

Option B

• The job is not on the the critical skills occupation list

• The job pays above €68,911

This route is generally aimed but not limited to roles such as company board members, finance professionals and other white collar roles.

The critical skills work permit comes with advantageous permissions for residency in Ireland. A successful applicant will be granted a 2 year permission, where they can than apply for a stamp 4 permission, allowing them access to public funds and no longer have their residency tied to the critical skills role.

In addition to this, successful critical skills permit holders are entitled to apply for family reunification immediately. In the case that your family hold American citizenship, the application is done in Ireland cutting down on delays and processing.

General work permits can be granted to any person who obtains a suitable job offer from an Irish company. The job offer must meet the following criteria to be approved:

• The job title can not be on the ineligible list of occupations

• The job offer must pay at least €36,605 per year

• The job must first have been advertised to Irish and EU citizens for 28 days before being accepted

Approval of this permission means you will be granted permission to live and work in Ireland. The permission is granted for a period of 2 years and can be renewed. Residency on this permission goes towards your citizenship. Successful applicants can apply for family reunification after 1 year on this permission.

Ireland is always looking to foster and encourage entrepreneurship. Billion dollar companies such as Stripe and Ryanair were founded and grew in Ireland.

Ireland runs the Start Up Entrepreneur Program (STEP) which allows self employed and ambitious applicants to set up a company in Ireland. The key requirements for successful applications are as follows:

• The business must be “innovative and scalable”

• Have access to sufficient funding to support and grow the company

Succesful applicants will be granted permission to operate and work in Ireland. As part of the application, the applicant will be able to work closely with Enterprise Ireland and Ireland Development Agency, government organization’s that look to help expand and grow business in Ireland.

Alternative routes to entrepreneurship in Ireland would be to create a company in Ireland. American citizens can create a company in Ireland where a €25,000 bond which acts as security where the director is not an Irish or EU citizen. Where an applicant holds Irish or EU citizenship, the bond is not required and the applicant would hold automatic rights of residency.

To find out more, please organize a meeting by using the below link

Ireland’s working holiday agreements with the US allow young people of both countries to fund an extended holiday through temporary work.

The traditional work permit requirements do not apply so applicants can work in any occupation. The permission allows applicants to work in Ireland for the period of one year. The key elements of the application is as follows:

• The applicant must be enrolled in third level education or have graduated in the past 12 months

• The applicant must show they have the finances to support themselves for their initial stay in Ireland before they find employment.

While the permission is for a temporary period, it allows young people full access to the Irish job market and can act to let US citizens enjoy Ireland its culture without the cost and the commitment of the full working permits.

Intra company transfer:

This permission allows applicants to move between branches of the same company where there is an Irish and American branch of the company. The job role and salary must fall within one of the following categories for a successful application:

• Senior management earning a minimum annual remuneration of €49,523.

• Key personnel earning a minimum annual remuneration of €49,523

• Personnel undergoing a training program earning a minimum annual remuneration of € 36,605

The permission is perfect for applicants who will be completing temporary work, training or a project in Ireland. Successful applications will grant a period of 2 years in Ireland. The permission is aimed to be for a temporary nature. Due to this, the residency will not go towards citizenship and there is no entitlement to family reunification.

Atypical permission

The atypical permission allows for temporary short term work in Ireland. A successful application will allow one to work for up to 90 days over the course of a 6 month period. For a successful application, the following is required:

• Ability to show you hold a specialized skill in an industry or business.

• You have been invited by the Irish branch to assist and complete a specific project.

• You can show you have the funds/ accommodation to support your stay in Ireland.

If you have been invited to Ireland to complete a project or training, please feel free to talk to us about the best route forward given your position and circumstance.