Ireland
All about Post Study Work Permit in Ireland
Once you have finished your studies in Ireland, you may wish to stay back a little longer and consider taking up a job to gain invaluable work experience. Time spent working abroad will strengthen your CV, and will help establish your career once you decide to come back to your home country.
If you are enrolled as a full-time student, with an Irish accredited degree, and have the Visa Stamp 2 you may qualify for the Third Level Graduate Scheme. The steps to the process is as following –
- Students can apply for non-renewable extension of up to 2 years after course completion. This extension is granted for the purpose of finding suitable employment.
- Later on, you can apply for a green card (renamed Critical Skills Employment Permit) or work permit (renamed General Employment Permit).
A new visa stamp – Stamp 1G – is now granted to foreign graduates who are authorized to work under the Third Level Graduate Scheme. So if you are granted Stamp 1G you don’t need to separately apply for visa extension.
The time of extension also depends on what your level is on the National Framework of Qualifications. For those pursuing degree at the level of 8 or above, the period for Graduate Employment Scheme is 12 months. For those with degree on level 7, a 6 month extension will be provided.
Critical Skills Employment Permit
Either you as an employee or your employer can apply for this permit. Your application must be based on the offer of employment. There are two types of eligible professions for a Critical Skills Employment Permit. They are:
1. Jobs offering annual salary of €60,000 or more – all professions
2. Jobs offering annual salaries of €30,000 or more – only professions listed on the Highly Skilled Occupations List
The Critical Skills Employment Permit is issued for maximum of 2 years and it cannot be renewed. Rather, if you wish to continue working and living in Ireland, you need to apply for a Stamp 4 permission. It will grant you the right to live and work in Ireland, and you will not require an additional employment permit.
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