Work permits - what has changed?

The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment, Ms. Mary Coughlan recently announced the introduction of revised qualifying conditions for new work permits being sought by first-time entrants to the labour market. These changes are intended to come into effect from the 1st June 2009.

A key feature of the new arrangements will be the application of a tougher labour market needs test for all future work permit applications and renewals so as to allow the maximum opportunity for any available job vacancies to be filled from within the Irish labour market and wider EEA.

The Tánaiste said: 'Ireland has benefited greatly from immigration, particularly so over the past decade. Our immigrant population have and continue to make a significant contribution to our economy and to society as a whole here in Ireland. We need to ensure however that for our flexible migration policies to remain as a successful tool of Irish economic policy, that they are adapted on an ongoing basis to reflect the changing realities of the Irish labour market. Those realities have altered dramatically over recent months. As a result, it is essential that we now take steps to ensure that every possible effort is made by employers to find a suitably skilled employee from within the existing labour market.'

Minister of State for Labour Affairs, Mr. Billy Kelleher, said: 'The overall trend in employment permit applications has been downward with a steep fall in the numbers of permits issued in the last six months. Despite this trend, we foresee a continuing need for the migration of certain highly skilled migrants to this country. The availability of highly qualified Irish and EU graduates for our indigenous and multinational companies will be a critical success factor in positioning Ireland to become a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy, and we need to be able to retain the flexibility to source overseas the requisite expertise when it is not available here. While meeting these high skills needs will continue to be facilitated through our Green Card scheme, categories will be kept under ongoing review in particular following publication of the next Skills Bulletin.'

The following is a breakdown of the new work permit arrangements:

• More job categories have been made ineligible for new work permits - work riders, domestic workers, and HGV drivers are now ineligible - and there is an ongoing assessment of other occupational categories
  
• No permits will be made available for jobs paying under €30,000 per annum
  
• The labour market needs test will be reinforced by doubling the duration of the EURES/FAS advertisement of the job vacancy to eight weeks, and the national press advertisement to six days
  
• Tougher conditions for the renewal of permits will be put in place, with higher fees and a requirement for a labour market needs test on renewal
  
• Spouses and dependants of future principal work permit holders will have to apply for permits in their own right, subject to the standard eligibility criteria and fees for work permits (currently spousal/dependant work permits are open to all job categories with no labour market needs test applied or fee charged)

The following is a breakdown of changes made to the Green Card scheme:

• A recent review carried out by the Dept of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has revealed that skills shortages no longer exist in the following occupations:
  
  Healthcare - registered midwives, physiotherapists, psychologists, social workers, medical physicists, speech and language therapists
  Financial Services - economists, statisticians, underwriters, claims assessors and analysts, securities specialists, fund and investment management specialists, common law jurisdiction lawyers, investment fund professionals, fund accountants, fund valuations professionals, fund administrators, custody specialists, transfer agents, hedge fund specialists
  Industry/Services - marketing managers
  
  The listed occupations will therefore continue to be eligible for Green Cards ONLY where the salary is €60,000 or more per annum.