Immigration Pathways
Employment permits, EU Treaty Rights, student stamps, long-term residence, citizenship, and international protection in Ireland.
Covered in this guide:
If you're applying to work or live in Ireland, the Immigration Act 2004, the Employment Permits Act 2024, and the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 set the rules. ISD runs visas and IRP cards (€300 fee under SI 421/2025); DETE runs employment permits through EPOS. The two main work routes are the Critical Skills Employment Permit and the General Employment Permit, with MAR thresholds rising in 2026 and every permit salary needing to meet €14.15/hour. EU/EEA/Swiss nationals enter freely under SI 548/2015. Track IRP expiry — overstaying ends in a section 3 deportation notice.
Key Laws
Immigration Act 2004
No. 1 of 2004
Core immigration statute — s.4 permission, s.9 registration duty
Employment Permits Act 2024
No. 17 of 2024
Replaced 2003/2006/2014 Acts on 2 September 2024; s.55 prohibits recovering permit fees from wages
Employment Permits Regulations 2024
S.I. No. 444/2024
Permit eligibility, MAR, LMNT, fees
Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956
No. 26 of 1956 (as amended)
Naturalisation (s.15), spouse route (s.15A), jus soli restriction (s.6A post-2004), revocation (s.19)
International Protection Act 2015
No. 66 of 2015
Single procedure for refugee status, subsidiary protection, and s.49 permission to remain
European Communities (Free Movement of Persons) Regulations 2015
S.I. No. 548/2015
Transposes Directive 2004/38/EC — EU Treaty Rights, Stamp 4 EUFAM, no application fee
Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023
No. 18 of 2023
Naturalisation: 70/100-day continuous-residence rule; minor-in-State 3-year rule (commenced 31 July 2023)
Immigration Act 2004 (Registration Certificate Fee) Regulations 2025
S.I. No. 421/2025
€300 IRP fee (in force 5 September 2025)
Employment Permits (CSEP & GEP)
Non-EEA/UK/Swiss workers who want to take up a job in Ireland generally need an employment permit from DETE under the Employment Permits Act 2024 (commenced 2 September 2024). The two primary routes a...
Family Reunification
Non-EEA nationals living in Ireland can apply for family reunification to bring their spouse, civil partner, de facto partner, and dependent children to join them. CSEP and Researcher-Hosting-Agreemen...
EU Treaty Rights (Stamp 4 EUFAM)
Non-EEA family members of an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen who is genuinely exercising free-movement rights in Ireland apply under S.I. No. 548/2015, which transposes Directive 2004/38/EC. Successful appl...
Student Immigration (Stamps 2 / 2A / 1G)
Non-EEA students study in Ireland on Stamp 2 (an ILEP-listed course) with casual work up to 20 hours/week in term and 40 hours/week in holidays (June–September and 15 December–15 January). Courses not...
Atypical Working Scheme (AWS)
The Atypical Working Scheme covers non-EEA work that does not fit the Employment Permits system: short or specialist assignments, intra-company transfers under 90 days, locum doctors, nurses sitting N...
Long-Term Residence (Stamp 4 & Stamp 5)
Ireland has no formal permanent residency programme. The closest equivalents are Stamp 4 (unrestricted work and business permission, renewable), the administrative Long-Term Residency (LTR) scheme, an...
Citizenship & Naturalisation
There are two main routes to Irish citizenship for people not Irish at birth: naturalisation (residence-based) under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 and citizenship by descent (Foreign...
Irish Born Child & Parent-of-ICC Pathway
Since the 2004 constitutional amendment and s.6A of the 1956 Act (commenced 1 January 2005), birth in Ireland is no longer automatic citizenship. A child born on the island of Ireland to non-EEA paren...
International Protection (Asylum & Subsidiary)
Ireland operates a single-procedure asylum system under the International Protection Act 2015. One application is assessed for refugee status, subsidiary protection, and (if neither applies) s.49 perm...
Investor & Start-up Entrepreneur Programmes
The Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) closed to new applicants at close of business 15 February 2023 — ISD is working through ~1,500 applications on hand and monitoring approved projects. The Start-u...
Immigrant Protections
All people in Ireland, regardless of immigration status, are protected by the Irish Constitution (Bunreacht na hEireann), which guarantees fundamental rights including equality before the law (Article...
Immigration Mistakes to Avoid
Ireland's immigration system is heavily administrative, and many decisions are made under ministerial discretion rather than clearly defined statutory rights. This makes procedural mistakes particular...