Almost no employment permit fails for exotic reasons. The same ten mistakes account for the vast majority of returned applications, refusals and blown start dates we see — and every one of them is checkable before submission. Here they are, roughly in order of how often they hurt people, with the cost of each.
The ten mistakes
Step 1 — Using last year’s salary threshold
The floors moved on 1 March 2026 — €36,605 for a GEP, €40,904 for Critical Skills, €32,691 for the reduced band. Offers budgeted at €34,000 in January became refusals in March. Cost: a refusal and a re-run, typically 6–10 weeks.
Step 2 — Running the LMNT wrong
Fewer than 28 full days, an advert amended mid-run, or the extra online platform missing. Any of these voids the test. Cost: 28 days plus the queue time, again.
Step 3 — Mismatched details across advert, contract and application
A different job title, salary or hours in any of the three documents invites a return. Freeze the wording before advertising and reuse it verbatim. Cost: your queue position.
Step 4 — Missing the 90-day window
The application must be filed within 90 days of the LMNT advertising commencing. Slow candidate decisions burn the window silently. Cost: the full test, re-run.
Step 5 — Ignoring the 50/50 ratio until application day
The EEA workforce ratio is checked on every application, company-wide. An EEA resignation can sink an application identical to three that succeeded. Cost: refusal, plus a hiring plan rethink.
Step 6 — Defaulting to the GEP for critical skills roles
Engineers, health professionals and construction professionals often qualify for the CSEP — no LMNT, faster queue, better family rights. Cost of the habit: a month per hire and weaker offers.
Step 7 — Forgetting the visa stage exists
For visa-required nationals the D visa adds 4–8 weeks after permit approval. Offer letters that promise start dates without it get renegotiated. Cost: credibility and weeks.
Step 8 — Letting documents trickle in
Incomplete applications are returned without a decision and rejoin the queue on resubmission. Assemble the full pack — employer, candidate, LMNT evidence — before filing. Cost: 2–6 weeks per return.
Step 9 — Treating arrival as the finish line
IRP registration, PPS, banking, licences and site cards decide how fast a hire becomes productive — and early experience decides whether they stay. Cost: weeks of lost output, or the whole hire.
Step 10 — Running everything sequentially
Sourcing, the LMNT and document preparation can all run in parallel from day one. Sequential processes are how 3–4 month hires become 5–6 month hires. Cost: one to two months, every time.
If several of these look uncomfortably familiar, the fix is process, not heroics — the documents checklist and the GEP vs CSEP decision guide are the two places to start.
Let Recruitroo handle recruitment and immigration
Recruitroo’s platform checks every application against the live rules — thresholds, lists, ratios, windows — before it goes anywhere near EPOS, which is why our customers’ permit success rates sit at or close to 100%. Send us the role you are planning and we will tell you where the risks are before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common reason Irish employment permits fail?
Process errors, not eligibility: LMNT defects, mismatched details and stale salary figures dominate. Most failed applications were winnable cases filed wrong.
If an application is refused, is the fee lost?
90% of the fee is refunded on refusal. The real cost is time — the weeks in the queue plus everything that has to be re-run.
Can a returned application keep its place in the queue?
No. Returned applications rejoin the queue on resubmission, which is why decision-ready first submissions matter more than anything else you control.
This guide reflects common failure points in Irish employment permit applications as of August 2026. Salary thresholds, occupation lists and processing times change regularly — check current DETE guidance or ask Recruitroo before committing to a hire.