Moving to Ireland: What IT professionals need to know about employment permits

IT professionals who are considering moving to Ireland will find excellent opportunities in the current market. There is strong demand for developers with skills like Java, Python, .NET and C++ as employers search for talent in a competitive and growing economy. Roles are also available for specialists in cybersecurity, business intelligence and data analytics.

Advantages of moving to Ireland

For non-EEA nationals, Ireland is an attractive location with a dynamic tech community. Most of the world’s leading technology companies have Irish operations and there are excellent IT communities in cities like Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick.

Depending on your country of origin, non-EEA nationals may require a visa to enter Ireland. You will also need a valid passport and your passport will need to remain valid for the duration of your stay. In addition, you will need an employment permit. There are nine different types of permit. For IT professionals, the most important of these is the Critical Skills Employment Permit which aims to encourage highly skilled individuals to enter the Irish labour force.

At the time of writing, programmers and software development professionals, business analysts, system architects and designers, web design and development professionals and various other IT specialists are included on a Highly Skilled Eligible Occupations List published by the Department of Business, Enterprise & Innovation.

Among other advantages, the Critical Skills Employment Permit enables you to apply for your immediate family to be granted residence in Ireland. You can also apply for permission to live and work in Ireland once your two-year permit has expired.

Apply for your permit before you move to Ireland

You will need to apply for a Critical Skills Employment Permit at least 12 weeks before you plan to enter employment in Ireland.  You must have a two-year job offer from a prospective employer and the job must provide minimum annual remuneration of €30,000 (€60,000 if the job is not on the highly skilled eligible occupations list) and you will have to stay with your initial employer for a minimum of 12 months.

The application fee is currently €1,000.

Full details of all the requirements are available on the DBEI website. It is very important to familiarise yourself with these requirements before applying as a mistake in your application could result in delay and/or your application being turned down.

Depending on your qualifications and skills, Eolas Recruitment may be able to help you find a suitable role with an Irish-based company. So, if you are a highly skilled IT professional and considering moving to Ireland, contact us to find out more about how we can help.