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Work Permits

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 April 2022

Tuesday, 26 April 2022

Questions (200)

Thomas Pringle

Question:

200. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the way in which a Sri Lankan citizen may come to Ireland to work (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20212/22]

View answer

Written answers

Under the Employment Permit Acts, in order to work in the State all non-EEA nationals require a valid Employment Permit or relevant immigration permission from the Minister for Justice which allows them to reside and work in the State without the requirement for an Employment Permit. The Irish State’s general policy is to promote the sourcing of labour and skills needs from within the workforce of the European Union and other EEA states. However, where specific skills prove difficult to source within the EEA, an employment permit may be sought in respect of a non-EEA national who possess those skills.

All Employment Permit applications are processed in line with the Employment Permits Act 2006, as amended and are dependent on a job offer from an Irish registered Employer for an eligible occupation.

It should be noted that the State's employment permit system is ordered by the use of occupation lists which determine which employments are highly demanded and which are ineligible for consideration for employment permits at a point in time and these lists are reviewed on a twice-yearly basis.

Since the 14th June 2021 the role of a Health Care Assistant is an eligible occupation for a General Employment Permit.  The minimum annual remuneration for a Health Care Assistant is €27,000 based on a 39 hour working week (hourly rate €10.85).  After a person has been working in the State as a Health Care Assistant on the basis of an employment permit for a period of 2 years or more, when applying for a second or subsequent employment permit the individual is required to have attained a relevant Level 5 Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) qualification.

Information is provided on the Department’s website in relation to employment permits including information in relation to each permit type, latest updates and an FAQ document which answers the majority of the most common questions, all of which are available through this link - enterprise.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Workplace-and-Skills/Employment-Permits/

To assist applicants when applying for a General Employment Permit,  a checklist document has been prepared which is also available on the Department’s website and can be accessed through this link:- enterprise.gov.ie/en/Publications/Publication-files/General-Employment-Permits-Checklist.pdf.

Online employment permit applications may be submitted at epos.djei.ie.  A user guide to assist with online applications is available at the following link epos.djei.ie/EPOSOnlinePortal/UserGuide.pdf

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