You are hereIreland, Critical Skills permit. 7 steps. Permits in date order; apply 12 weeks before you start. The job search sets the rest.
- 1See where you standYou are hereStart this route
- 2Win a job offerYou can start this now
- 3Apply for the permitCannot start yet: opens when you have a two-year job offer
- 4Get your employment visaCannot start yet: opens when your permit is granted
- 5Travel, arrive and registerCannot start yet: opens when your visa is granted
- 6Your first payslip, nine months with your employer, and your familyCannot start yet: opens when you start with your employer
- 7Move to Stamp 4Cannot start yet: opens near the end of your permit
I am stuck
I am stuck
The desk explains what a step means and where the official answer lives.
Skilled work, outside health
Work in Ireland on a Critical Skills permit
For graduates and skilled workers with a two-year job offer in an occupation on Ireland's official list, outside health. Seven steps, from where you stand to Stamp 4.
Open, checked 7 October 2026. No yearly window: you apply once you have the offer.
Free. About two minutes.
The steps
7 steps. Open any step to see what it needs.
- 1Start here
See where you stand
Check your job and your salary against the official list and the salary floors. About ten minutes: the list is a Word file.
See what this step needs
The permit is for a job offer of at least 2 years, paying €40,904 a year or more (about ₦61.2m) in an occupation on the Critical Skills Occupations List, with a relevant degree or higher; €36,848 (about ₦55.2m) if your degree came in the 12 months before you apply; or over €68,911 (about ₦103.2m) in any occupation except those on the Department's list of occupations no permit is given for. Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 7 October 2026. At ₦1,497 to the euro, 20 October 2026.
The floor rose from €38,000 to €40,904 on 1 March 2026, and further rises are phased in through 2030. Read 7 October 2026.
The list (its file last changed 21 August 2026) covers ICT, engineering, IT and telecommunications, science, business, research and administration, architecture, town planning and surveying, legal, teaching, quality and regulatory, and media and design roles. It also carries health and nursing roles. Health recruitment for Ireland is not a route here, so this route leaves those out. Read 7 October 2026.
No labour market test is needed for this permit. Read 7 October 2026.
Source: enterprise.gov.ie, Critical Skills Occupations List, read 21 October 2026.
Open the Critical Skills Occupations List
Open the permit's official page
Free.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Find your job on Ireland's official list and check the pay is at least €40,904 a year. Health and nursing jobs are not part of this route.
Where the official answer lives: The Department of Enterprise's Critical Skills Employment Permit page holds the salary floors, and its occupations list page holds the list.
- 2You can start this now
Win a job offer
Find an employer that may hire you from abroad, and apply to its own advert yourself.
Rekoja checks, signposts, prepares and practises with you, and introduces you to no one. No worker ever pays for a job.
- 1Start from the official list
Start from the Critical Skills Occupations List, then search JobsIreland and EURES for your occupation.
See what this needs
Read each advert beside the list: the occupation must be on it, or the salary over €68,911 a year. JobsIreland opens on its own site; EURES is the European Labour Authority's job portal. Read 7 October 2026.
Free.
- 2Find the advert on the employer's own pages
Apply only to an advert the employer itself placed.
See what this needs
An advert that exists only in a WhatsApp forward or an agent's message is not the employer's.
Free.
- 3Apply yourself
You search, you apply, you interview and you accept, yourself.
See what this needs
You pay no one for a job. An agency that uses JobsIreland must hold a licence under the Employment Agency Act, 1971. Read on jobsireland.ie, 7 October 2026. Your employer can never take back from you, or out of your pay, any charge, fee or expense for your recruitment, for the permit application or its renewal, or for travel costs it has already paid you (section 23, Employment Permits Act 2006; section 55, Employment Permits Act 2024). Read on irishstatutebook.ie, 7 October 2026.
Free.
- 4Write it the way they read it
A CV in your own words, for the job's own advert.
See what this needs
The visa later asks for evidence of your qualifications and experience, so keep a copy of every certificate and work letter your CV names. Read on irishimmigration.ie, 7 October 2026.
The structure is free. On a paid file, the desk can finish your CV with you, and "I will do it myself" stays equal.
- 5Check the employer and the vacancy
Before you trust an offer, check the employer is registered and meets the 50:50 rule.
See what this needs
The employer must be registered with the Revenue Commissioners and, where it applies, the Companies Registration Office, and at least half its staff must be EEA nationals when it applies. Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 7 October 2026.
Free, always.
- 6Practise the interview
Practise saying your answers out loud.
See what this needs
This predicts nothing; it helps you speak calmly.
On a paid file, the desk practises with you, once.
- 7Is this a real offer?
When an offer comes, check it before you sign or pay anything.
See what this needs
The offer must be for at least 2 years, at the salary floor for your occupation. A job cannot be sold. If your employer applies for the permit, it can never take the fee back from you. Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 7 October 2026.
Free, always.
See what this step needs
The employer must be based and trading in Ireland, and registered with the Revenue Commissioners and, where it applies, the Companies Registration Office. It gets no permit unless 50% or more of its employees are EEA nationals when it applies, except a start-up within 2 years of registering with Revenue that is an Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland client. The offer must be for at least 2 years. Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 7 October 2026.
Nobody may charge you for a job, and Rekoja never sells one.
Source: enterprise.gov.ie, Critical Skills Employment Permit, read 7 October 2026.
Search EURES, the European Labour Authority's job portal
Open the Critical Skills Occupations List
Free. Rekoja never sells a job and introduces you to no employer, and nobody may charge you for one.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Look for a job in Ireland on JobsIreland or EURES, check the employer is real and registered, and apply to it yourself. Never pay anyone for a job.
Where the official answer lives: The Department of Enterprise's Critical Skills Employment Permit page holds the employer rules; the employer's own careers page holds the advert.
- 1
- 3
Apply for the permit
You or your employer applies on Employment Permits Online, at least 12 weeks before your start date.
See what this step needs
Either you or your employer can apply. The application is made on Employment Permits Online, at least 12 weeks before the job's start date. Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 7 October 2026.
€1,000, about ₦1.5m, for up to 24 months, paid by whoever applies. If the permit is refused, 90% is refunded, to the applicant only. If your employer applies, it can never take the fee, or any cost of the application, back from you or out of your pay (section 55, Employment Permits Act 2024). Read 7 October 2026. At ₦1,497 to the euro, 20 October 2026.
How long: the Department works in date order. As of 20 October 2026 it was processing Critical Skills applications received on 12 October 2026. Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 21 October 2026.
Once you start, you stay with your first employer for at least 9 months. Read 7 October 2026.
Source: enterprise.gov.ie, Critical Skills Employment Permit, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: the last day to apply, 12 weeks before you start, worked out from your job's start date, which you enter in your plan: apply at least 12 weeks before it. Enter it in your plan
Open Employment Permits Online
Rekoja charges nothing here. You or your employer apply and pay the Department directly; no worker ever pays for a job.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
You or your employer fills in the permit form online, at least 12 weeks before you start. It costs €1,000. If your employer pays, it can never take that money back from you.
Where the official answer lives: Employment Permits Online's support desk answers on epos@enterprise.gov.ie; the Department of Enterprise's permit page holds the rules.
- 4
Get your employment visa
Apply for the long stay employment visa on AVATS, then hand in your papers at VFS.
See what this step needs
Once you have the permit, apply on AVATS up to 3 months before you travel. What you send: a passport valid at least 12 months after you plan to arrive, two colour photographs no more than 6 months old, an application letter, any previous visa refusals, the employment permit, your contract, a letter from your employer in Ireland (your job, your salary and any accommodation), evidence of your qualifications and experience, and an up-to-date bank statement covering the last six months, on the bank's headed paper. Show medical or travel insurance when you arrive. Read on irishimmigration.ie, 19 October 2026.
In Nigeria you hand in your papers in person at VFS, and give fingerprints. The Embassy does not accept statements from a micro-finance bank, a mortgage bank or a thrift society. Read on ireland.ie, 19 October 2026.
The fee in Nigeria: the naira equal of €60 for a single entry visa (about ₦89,800) or €100 for a multi entry visa (about ₦149,700), not refunded, and paid at the VFS centre at your appointment, where you can pay it in cash. Which of the two a long stay employment visa takes: we do not know this yet. VFS's own fee, charged on top: we do not know this yet. Read on ireland.ie and visa.vfsglobal.com, 19 October 2026. At ₦1,497 to the euro, 20 October 2026.
Source: irishimmigration.ie, Employment visa, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: the first day you can apply, 3 months before you travel, worked out from your travel date, which you enter in your plan: apply up to 3 months before it. Enter it in your plan
The Embassy in Abuja: visa fees and VFS
VFS Global: the Ireland visa centre in Nigeria
Free to do yourself. Nothing here is sold as recruitment, and no worker pays for a job.
The desk can prepare this file with you.I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
After the permit, apply online for the work visa, then take your papers to VFS. The fee is €60 single entry or €100 multiple entry, paid in cash in naira at your VFS appointment, plus VFS's own fee.
Where the official answer lives: The Irish Immigration Service's employment visa page holds the papers; the Embassy of Ireland in Abuja's visa page holds the fees; VFS answers on your appointment at visa.vfsglobal.com.
- 5
Travel, arrive and register
Fly once the visa is granted, then register your permission with the Immigration Service.
See what this step needs
In your hand luggage: your passport with the visa, your employment permit, your contract, your employer's letter, and your medical or travel insurance, which you show when you arrive. Read on irishimmigration.ie, 7 October 2026.
Then register your permission. The fee is €300 per person, if it applies, about ₦449,100, by credit or debit card only; booking the appointment is free. Permission on an employment permit is usually valid for 12 months, then renewed. Read on irishimmigration.ie, 7 October 2026. At ₦1,497 to the euro, 20 October 2026.
Never sell what you live on, and never borrow against your first payslip.
Source: irishimmigration.ie, registering for the first time, read 21 October 2026.
Your clock: a count of your first days in Ireland, worked out from the day you land in Ireland, which you enter in your plan. Enter it in your plan
Open the Immigration Service's registration page
Free. The desk is not offered once you land.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Fly after your visa comes, carry your job papers and insurance, then book your registration and pay €300 by card.
Where the official answer lives: The Irish Immigration Service's registration pages, and your employer's start letter.
- 6
Your first payslip, nine months with your employer, and your family
Check your first payslip against your contract, stay with your first employer, and bring your family when you are ready.
See what this step needs
The permit's salary floor counts your basic salary, at least the National Minimum Wage, plus any registered health insurance payments: check your payslip against the salary on your contract. Stay with your first employer for at least 9 months. Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 7 October 2026.
Your family: you can apply for immediate family reunification from the Immigration Service. Once your partner or spouse lives in Ireland, they can take any job, and the Dependant, Partner or Spouse Employment Permit is currently issued free of charge. Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 7 October 2026.
Send home what you can spare, not what you need. Never borrow against your next payslip.
Source: enterprise.gov.ie, Critical Skills Employment Permit, read 7 October 2026.
Your clock: the end of your first 9 months with your first employer, worked out from the day you start work, which you enter in your plan: stay at least 9 months. Enter it in your plan
Open the permit's official page
The Immigration Service's stamps page
Free.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Check your pay matches your contract, stay with your first employer for 9 months, and apply to bring your family when you are ready.
Where the official answer lives: Your employer's payroll answers on your payslip; the Immigration Service answers on bringing your family.
- 7
Move to Stamp 4
In place of renewing the permit, apply to the Department of Justice for Stamp 4.
See what this step needs
You do not renew a Critical Skills permit. You apply directly to the Department of Justice for Stamp 4; since 30 November 2023 no support letter is needed. That Stamp 4 permission is for 2 years. Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 7 October 2026.
When: two official pages give two answers. The Immigration Service's stamps page (updated 5 June 2026) says after 2 years with a valid Critical Skills permit. Its registration page (updated 1 October 2026) says Stamp 4 "upon completion of 21 months from commencement of employment". Both read on irishimmigration.ie, 7 October 2026.
Stamp 4 counts as residence when you apply for citizenship by naturalisation. Read on irishimmigration.ie, 6 October 2026.
Source: irishimmigration.ie, registering for the first time, read 7 October 2026.
Your clock: Stamp 4 after 21 months, as the registration page says, updated 1 October 2026, worked out from the day you start work, which you enter in your plan: the registration page says "upon completion of 21 months from commencement of employment". Enter it in your plan
Your clock: Stamp 4 after 2 years, as the stamps page says, updated 5 June 2026, worked out from the day you start work, which you enter in your plan: the stamps page says after 2 years with a valid Critical Skills permit.
Open the Immigration Service's stamps page
The registration page that says 21 months
The Immigration Service's Customer Service Portal
Open the permit's official page
Free. Rekoja does not advise on your own case; the Immigration Service answers on it.
I am stuck
Explain this step more simply
Near the end of your permit, you ask the Department of Justice for Stamp 4 instead of a new permit. One official page says after 2 years, another after 21 months.
Where the official answer lives: The Irish Immigration Service answers on Stamp 4 through its Customer Service Portal: make an account in your own name, then Submit Query. It lists no phone line, and a letter gets no acknowledgement. The Department of Enterprise's permit page holds the renewal rule. Read on irishimmigration.ie, 7 October 2026.
The employer board
Each row: employer, job, the salary as written, whether you can apply from abroad, the closing date, the date it was checked and the board it came from.
JobsIreland and EURES open on their own sites; EURES is run by the European Labour Authority. Rekoja lists, it does not introduce.
See everything about this route
Cost. About ₦539,000 to ₦2.1m: the visa (€60 single entry or €100 multiple entry) and registration (€300), plus the permit's €1,000 if you apply yourself (nothing if your employer applies, and it can never take it back from you). Not VFS's fee or flights. Read 7 October 2026.
Who pays the permit. Whoever applies, you or your employer: €1,000, with 90% refunded to the applicant if it is refused. If your employer applies, it can never take the fee back from you (section 55, Employment Permits Act 2024). Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 7 October 2026.
How long. Permits are processed in date order: as of 20 October 2026 the Department was on Critical Skills applications received 12 October 2026. Apply at least 12 weeks before you start, and for the visa up to 3 months before you travel. Your job search sets the real length.
Who it fits. A two-year offer paying €40,904 or more in a listed occupation with a relevant degree (€36,848 within 12 months of your degree), or over €68,911 in most other occupations. Health and nursing roles are not part of this route. Read 7 October 2026.
Family. Immediate family reunification; your partner or spouse can then take any job, and their permit is currently issued free of charge. Read on enterprise.gov.ie, 7 October 2026.
The official page for this route. Checked 7 October 2026. Naira at the official rate of 20 October 2026.
I am stuck? Message the desk on WhatsApp
Free. About two minutes.