If you are a citizen of a non-EEA country you may not have automatic permission to work in Ireland. You may need to obtain a Work Permit or a Green Card Permit in order to work. According to the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation citizens of non-EEA countries who do not require Employment Permits include:
Work permits are issued for up to 2 years. Generally the salary must be €30,000 or more and the employer must have carried out a labour market test. The cost for a 2 year work permit is €1000. After 12 months working in the country, work permit holders can apply for their family members to join them. Since 1st June 2009 there are new requirements for people who apply for their first work permit in Ireland. For a list of eligible jobs and the new rules go to: www.enterprise.gov.ie
Green card permits are issued for jobs where the salary is over €60,000. Green card permits are also issued for certain jobs where the salary is between €30,000 and €59,999, for an up-to-date list of eligible jobs go to: www.enterprise.gov.ie. There is no labour market test. There must be a job offer of 2 or more years. Green card permit holders can apply for immediate family re-unification.
Spousal/Dependent work permits are issued to spouses or dependents (who came to Ireland before they were 18 years of age). If the main work permit holder was granted their work permit before 1st June 2009:
If the main work permit holder was granted their work permit after 1st June 2009, then the spouse or dependent will have to apply for a work permit in their own right which means
You should have a Personal Public Service (PPS) number. Your PPS number is a unique reference number which your employer uses to make the required tax and social insurance contributions on your behalf. You also use your PPS number when accessing social welfare and health benefits.
You apply through the Department of Social Protection. Not all social welfare offices issue PPS numbers so you should contact your local social welfare office go to ‘Contact Us’ on www.welfare.ie.
In order to receive a PPS number, you will need to fill out an application form and provide proof of your identity. You will need to produce the following documents:
Usually 10 working days from the date you applied.
This will depend on the nature of the qualification and the country where it was obtained. It may be possible for you to get formal recognition of your qualification in Ireland. The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland provides a way of relating foreign qualifications to the nearest comparable qualification in Ireland. You should contact Qualifications Recognition Ireland. This service is free of charge.
Qualifications Recognition National Qualifications Authority of Ireland
5th Floor Jervis House, Jervis St. Dublin 1
Telephone: 01 8871500
Email: info@qualrec.ie
Website: www.qualrec.ie
CVs can take many formats. The most important criteria are that your CV is clear and easy to read. It should contain personal contact details, educational history, relevant skills or interests and most importantly work experience details.
Volunteering can also be a great way of gaining work experience in Ireland: www.volunteeringireland.ie
In Dublin you can also contact:
FÁS is the national training and employment authority. For more information you should check out their website: www.fas.ie or call in to your local FÁS office.
If you have stamp 1 and have been made redundant you can register with FÁS otherwise FÁS will only register people who have stamp 4.
You can also contact your Local Employment Service (LES).
You can check local and national newspapers: The Irish Times and The Irish Examiner (job supplement on Fridays), The Irish Independent (job supplement on Thursdays), The Sunday Independent and The Evening Herald.
Use personal contacts, for example, relatives or friends who may know of current vacancies.
You can also check the internet for details of current vacancies – here is a sample of some websites for job-seekers:
FÁS runs a Supported Employment Programme to assist jobseekers with a disability to find employment in the open labour market.
To apply for Supported Employment, call into your local FÁS Office or Local Employment Service and register with FÁS.
There are two categories of payments for unemployed people: Jobseeker’s Benefit and Jobseeker’s Allowance. To qualify for either of these you must be:
It is important to note that you can get part-time or casual work and still be considered unemployed. So you may be eligible for a part-payment if you are in part-time or casual work.
This payment is based on insurance contributions paid while in employment in Ireland (PRSI) or another country covered by EC Regulations (see Social Welfare Section). You will qualify for Jobseeker’s Benefit if:
To apply you must register (sign-on) with the Department of Social Protection at your local Social Welfare Office. You should apply straight away because Jobseeker’s Benefit is not paid for the first 3 days you are unemployed. Complete Form UP1 and bring this to your local Social Welfare Office.
If your claim for Jobseeker’s Benefit is refused, you have the right to appeal the decision. If you still do not qualify, you may be eligible for Jobseeker’s Allowance.
Jobseeker’s Allowance
To qualify you must:
You can claim Jobseeker’s allowance for as long as you need, as long as you satisfy all the requirements.
You must complete Form UP1 and bring it to your local social welfare office.
If your claim for Jobseeker’s Allowance is refused, you have the right to appeal the decision. If you still do not qualify, you may be entitled to other payments. You can contact your Community Welfare Officer (CWO) in your local Health Centre or you can contact your local social welfare office for further information.
If you have lost your job www.redundancy.ie provides practical information in English.
Information on all social welfare payments is available at: www.welfare.ie and www.losingyourjob.ie
Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed represents the interests and views of all unemployed people and their dependents at a national level: www.inou.ie
Araby House, 8 North Richmond Street, Dublin 1
Telephone: 01 8560090
Email: info@inou.ie
If you are from a non-EEA country you may need business permission to start a business in Ireland depending on your immigration status.
You do not need to get business permission if you:
For further details see: www.inis.gov.ie or contact the Business Permission Unit:
Immigration Services Section
Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service
1st Floor, 13/14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2
Enterprise Ireland provides advisory and financial support to High Potential Start-Up businesses and encourages all forms of entrepreneurship: www.enterpriseireland.ie
City and County Enterprise Boards support the start up and development of local businesses in Ireland. This includes advice, mentoring and grants or financial supports for training and growth: www.enterpriseboards.ie
Chambers Ireland: A chamber of commerce is an organisation made up of local business representatives who join together to promote the economic and social development of their community in order to make it a better place in which to live, work and do business: www.chambers.ie
Emerge Skillnet works to develop and expand Ethnic Minority Enterprises (EME) and to assist EMEs in overcoming business obstacles within the regulatory and cultural environment: www.emergeskillnet.ie
Toil and Trouble is an excellent guide on the various procedures that you need to go through to become self-employed in Ireland.
This project is co-financed by the European Commission under the European Integration Fund and is supported by the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration in the Dept of Justice & Equality & Pobal.