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If you're hoping to build a career in Ireland or the UK, the first question is almost always the same: am I even eligible? The honest answer is that it depends far less on you and far more on the job — the role, the salary, and whether an employer is willing to sponsor you. This guide walks through what actually makes a role eligible in 2026, the main routes for each country, and the quickest way to find out where you stand.
The one thing to understand first
In nearly all cases you cannot move to Ireland or the UK to look for work and sort the paperwork afterwards. The permit or visa is tied to a specific job with a specific employer who is registered (Ireland) or licensed (UK) to sponsor international workers. So the real question isn't ""can I get a visa?"" — it's ""will this job qualify for sponsorship?"" Find the job, and the route follows.
Working in Ireland: the two routes that matter
Ireland runs an employment-permit system. For most non-EEA workers, two permits cover the overwhelming majority of cases, and which one you need comes down to your occupation and your salary. The figures below took effect on 1 March 2026.
Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP)
This is the premium route, built for in-demand skilled roles. You qualify one of two ways: your job is on the Critical Skills Occupations List and pays at least €40,904 with a relevant degree; or the job pays €68,911 or more in almost any field, with no specific degree required. The real prize is the fast track to residency — after 21 months you can apply for Stamp 4, which means you're no longer tied to a single employer. The application fee is €1,000 (your employer can pay it), with 90% refunded if it's refused.
General Employment Permit (GEP)
The GEP is the broader route for roles that aren't on the critical-skills list. The standard minimum salary is €36,605. Importantly for a lot of candidates, certain in-demand but lower-paid roles — healthcare assistants, home carers, meat-processing operatives and horticultural workers — have a reduced threshold of €32,691. The trade-off is that the employer usually has to run a Labour Market Needs Test (advertise the role locally first) and satisfy the ""50/50 rule"" — at least half their staff must be EEA nationals.
| Critical Skills (CSEP) | General (GEP) | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum salary | €40,904 (on list, with degree) or €68,911 (any role) | €36,605 standard · €32,691 for care & selected roles |
| Best for | Skilled, in-demand professions | Roles not on the critical-skills list |
| Degree needed? | Yes, for the €40,904 route | No |
| Labour Market Needs Test | No | Usually yes |
| Route to Stamp 4 | After 21 months | After 5 years |
Working in the UK: the Skilled Worker visa
The UK's main work route is the Skilled Worker visa, and the bar rose sharply across 2025–2026. Two changes catch people out: the role now has to be graduate-level (RQF Level 6), and from 8 January 2026 first-time applicants must prove English at B2 (up from B1).
On salary, you have to clear two tests at once. Your pay must be at least the general threshold of £41,700 a year, and at least the published ""going rate"" for your specific occupation — whichever is higher. So if your role's going rate is £45,000, the £41,700 floor is irrelevant: you need £45,000. There's also a minimum hourly rate of £17.13 for most roles. Discounts exist for new entrants (recent graduates switching in, £30,960), relevant PhDs, and a short Immigration Salary List — but that list is being phased out at the end of 2026, so don't bank on it.
Important if you work in care
This is the single biggest change for international job seekers in 2026. The UK has closed its Health & Care Worker visa to new overseas care workers and senior care workers. If you're applying from outside the UK for a care-assistant role, that door is effectively shut (in-country switching is allowed until July 2028, but only if you're already in the UK on an eligible visa). The practical upshot: if you're a care worker or healthcare assistant hoping to move abroad, Ireland is now the realistic route — those roles still qualify under the General Employment Permit at the €32,691 threshold.
What actually makes you eligible
Pulling it together, a role will generally qualify when:
- You have a genuine job offer from an employer registered (Ireland) or licensed to sponsor (UK).
- The salary meets the relevant threshold — and, in the UK, the going rate for that specific role.
- The role meets the skill level (graduate-level for the UK Skilled Worker route; on the relevant list or paid highly enough for Ireland).
- You meet the English requirement (B2 for first-time UK applicants) and any professional registration, e.g. nursing.
- Your qualifications are recognised — overseas degrees may need QQI (Ireland) or UK ENIC verification, which is worth starting early.
The most common reasons people don't qualify
The salary is below the threshold, or below the UK going rate for the role · the role is below graduate level (UK) and isn't on a shortage list · there's no employer willing to sponsor — the most common blocker of all · or applying from overseas for a UK care role now that the route has closed.
Find out where you stand in under a minute
The fastest way to know whether a specific role qualifies is to run it through our free Work Permit & Visa Eligibility Checker — answer a few quick questions and it points you to the likely route for Ireland or the UK. Prefer us to do the legwork? Register your interest and our team will match you with employers who actually sponsor international workers.
This article is for general guidance only and isn't legal or immigration advice. Salary thresholds and visa rules change — the figures here reflect the rules in force as of June 2026. Final eligibility is decided by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ireland) or the Home Office (UK). Always confirm the current position for your own circumstances before applying.