My Department's Employment Permits Section administers the Employment Permits system, the broad purpose of which is to supplement Ireland's skills supply by allowing enterprise to recruit non-EEA nationals where those nationals have specific skills or expertise which cannot be sourced within the EEA and where such recruitment may benefit the State's economic sector or social development. In line with employment permit policy, employment opportunities which arise in Ireland should, in the first instance, be offered to suitably skilled Irish and other EEA nationals, and should only be offered to non-EEA nationals where no suitable candidate emerges from within the EEA to fill the vacancy.
All employment permits are processed in line with the Employment Permits Act 2006, as amended, which sets out in legislation the procedures to be applied in the application, grant, refusal and appeal of an employment permit.
I set out hereunder the figures as requested by the Deputy for the years 2014, 2015 and to end September 2016.
2014
|
Applications Received
|
Issued
|
Refused
|
Appeals Received
|
Appeals Granted
|
Jan
|
412
|
449
|
81
|
31
|
7
|
Feb
|
379
|
302
|
55
|
28
|
12
|
Mar
|
416
|
353
|
72
|
15
|
14
|
Apr
|
456
|
313
|
56
|
16
|
12
|
May
|
710
|
384
|
40
|
18
|
8
|
Jun
|
683
|
589
|
51
|
24
|
7
|
Jul
|
749
|
888
|
85
|
25
|
32
|
Aug
|
529
|
493
|
16
|
24
|
9
|
Sep
|
610
|
819
|
26
|
27
|
23
|
Oct
|
318
|
7
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
Nov
|
568
|
339
|
43
|
15
|
1
|
Dec
|
483
|
556
|
60
|
27
|
9
|
Total
|
6313
|
5492
|
588
|
250
|
134
|
2015
|
Applications Received
|
Issued
|
Refused
|
Appeals Received
|
Appeals Granted
|
Jan
|
635
|
481
|
64
|
22
|
5
|
Feb
|
498
|
371
|
61
|
36
|
13
|
Mar
|
636
|
472
|
63
|
22
|
19
|
Apr
|
636
|
770
|
71
|
23
|
10
|
May
|
809
|
534
|
48
|
32
|
4
|
Jun
|
943
|
822
|
36
|
21
|
9
|
Jul
|
922
|
692
|
56
|
26
|
5
|
Aug
|
710
|
291
|
44
|
26
|
4
|
Sep
|
620
|
742
|
118
|
28
|
10
|
Oct
|
811
|
918
|
134
|
72
|
18
|
Nov
|
987
|
738
|
139
|
45
|
23
|
Dec
|
814
|
434
|
72
|
64
|
11
|
Total
|
9021
|
7265
|
906
|
417
|
131
|
2016
|
Applications Received
|
Issued
|
Refused
|
Appeals Received
|
Appeals Granted
|
Jan
|
799
|
492
|
79
|
31
|
17
|
Feb
|
680
|
896
|
111
|
41
|
32
|
Mar
|
778
|
773
|
126
|
58
|
32
|
Apr
|
957
|
851
|
188
|
64
|
33
|
May
|
1298
|
850
|
134
|
94
|
42
|
Jun
|
1245
|
1020
|
159
|
74
|
27
|
Jul
|
960
|
1081
|
138
|
50
|
33
|
Aug
|
934
|
1100
|
273
|
72
|
22
|
Sep
|
820
|
386
|
126
|
80
|
12
|
Total
|
8471
|
7449
|
1334
|
564
|
250
|