What is the change?

Changes to the employment permits format have been announced: all Irish employment permits will be issued in an electronic format with the addition of the signature of a senior official on behalf of the Minister and a unique permit number.

In light of this great update, we also wanted to note some further ‘right to work’ considerations that employers should be aware of. You can view these below.

Key points:

• Implementation time frame: Effective immediately.
• Who is affected: All future employment permit holders and applicants.
• Right to Work Considerations:
  • Employers and employees should be aware of the new employment permit format and should anticipate receiving an electronic version of their employment permit which includes:
    • a signature of a senior official on behalf of the Minister on the electronic version of the employment permit; and
    • a unique permit number on the electronic version of the employment permit.

1. Stamp 2 IRP holders: Employer’s should remember that individuals holding Stamp 2 permission can only work a maximum of 40 hours per week until the end of September. From 1 October, Stamp 2 holders can only work a maximum of 20 hours per week during term time and 40 hours during holidays (15 December – 15 January, June – September).
2. Stamp 1G holders: Valid Stamp 1G holders are able to work in Ireland without an employment permit. Employers should bear in mind that once an individual is coming towards the end of their permitted time on 1G permission, an employment permit should be obtained (if eligible) so that the individual can continue to work in their role.
3. Employers should bear in mind that employees that have held independent immigration permission in Ireland (such as Stamp 2 and 1G) and have now moved onto an employment permit with the employer, will need to switch their residency permission to Stamp 1 via their local Garda station if located outside Dublin, or via the online renewal platform if they are in Dublin.

Any existing employment permits issued prior to change without the above information will continue to be valid.

Analysis and Comments:

Deloitte welcomes the official move to electronic permit issuance as we continue to accelerate into a digital world. Electronic employment permits are more efficient, speedier to issue, and more sustainable.