Irish employers across construction, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing and engineering all face the same reality: the domestic labour market cannot supply the workers the economy needs. Hiring internationally is no longer a last resort — it is a normal part of workforce planning. But the process is unfamiliar to most HR teams, and the mistakes are expensive. This guide walks through the complete end-to-end process, in the order you actually do the work.
Step 1: Confirm You Actually Need to Hire Internationally
Before you spend a cent on international recruitment, confirm three things:
The Pre-Flight Checklist
• You have a genuine, ongoing need — employment permits are tied to roles lasting 12+ months
• You have advertised locally and cannot fill the role — required evidence for the Labour Market Needs Test on most permits
• The role is not on the Ineligible List of Occupations — this list changes periodically, check the DETE website against your current role
If all three boxes are ticked, international hiring is the right path. If not, you are likely to face refusal regardless of how strong the candidate is.
Step 2: Pick the Right Permit
For the vast majority of international hires, there are two options:
Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) — the fast track
The fastest and most employer-friendly permit. Available for roles paying €40,904+ that appear on the Critical Skills Occupations List (senior engineers, ICT professionals, qualified nurses, certain allied health roles, and specialist trades). No LMNT required. No 50/50 rule. Candidates get immediate family reunification and a Stamp 4 route after two years.
General Employment Permit (GEP) — the workhorse
For roles not on the Critical Skills list — skilled trades, care workers, chefs, hospitality, manufacturing operatives, HGV drivers. 2026 minimum salary is €36,605 for most roles, with a reduced threshold of €32,691 for healthcare assistants and home carers holding QQI Level 5. Requires a 28-day LMNT and the 50/50 rule applies.
Choosing the right permit on day one is the single decision that most affects your timeline. Applying for the wrong category means restarting the process.
Step 3: Run the Labour Market Needs Test (GEP Only)
The LMNT is the evidence you cannot fill the role locally. You must:
• Advertise with the Department of Social Protection (Jobs Ireland / EURES) for 28 days
• Place a separate advertisement in a national newspaper for at least 3 days
• Place the role on an online Irish jobs board for at least 14 days
Pro tip: Start the LMNT on the same day you begin sourcing international candidates. The 28-day clock runs in parallel with recruitment. Running them sequentially wastes a month.
The LMNT is waived for CSEP roles, roles paying over €68,173, Enterprise Ireland/IDA-supported positions, and permit changes of employer.
Step 4: Source International Candidates
This is the step most Irish employers have no existing playbook for. Traditional recruitment agencies advertise locally and wait for applicants. International sourcing requires a different approach:
Four Principles That Matter
Country selection matters. For healthcare, India and the Philippines have the deepest pools of English-speaking qualified nurses. For construction trades, Brazil, South Africa and parts of South Asia are strong. For hospitality chefs, India, Nepal, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Pre-screen for English ability up front. This is the single biggest cause of hires that fail after arrival.
Validate qualifications against Irish standards. QQI comparability, trade certifications, and registration bodies (NMBI for nurses, CORU for allied health, Safe Pass for construction) all matter before permit application.
Use video profiles, not just CVs. A 2-minute video tells you more about English, confidence and fit than a 2-page CV ever will.
Step 5: Interview, Offer, and Submit the Permit
Run interviews by video. Most international candidates cannot travel for an interview, and requiring it drops your conversion rate sharply. Structure the interview to cover technical skills, English comprehension, motivation for relocation, and practical readiness (passport, dependants, accommodation preferences).
Your offer letter must match what goes into the permit application — job title, salary, hours, start date. Discrepancies between the offer and the permit application cause delays.
What Goes Into the EPOS Permit Application
Company documents
CRO number, Tax Registration Number, evidence of Revenue registration, tax clearance certificate.
Role documents
Detailed job description, signed employment contract, LMNT evidence (for GEP).
Candidate documents
Passport copy, qualifications, CV, evidence of English proficiency, professional registrations where relevant.
Application fee
€1,000 for a two-year permit, €500 for a six-month permit.
Typical processing times in 2026: 5 to 10 weeks for GEP, 2 to 4 weeks for CSEP. Incomplete applications are returned and add weeks to the timeline.
Step 6: Visa, Relocation, and Arrival
Once the permit is approved, candidates from visa-required countries must apply for a long-stay employment (D) visa before travelling. The visa application goes to the Irish embassy or visa office responsible for the candidate's country. Processing ranges from 2 weeks in some locations to 12 weeks in others — plan for 6 to 8 weeks on average.
Relocation is where good employers differentiate themselves. A candidate who arrives without accommodation, transport to work, or a PPS appointment is a candidate who is stressed from day one — and stressed candidates leave.
The Arrival Checklist
• Book short-term accommodation for the first 4 weeks before arrival
• Arrange airport pickup or clear transport instructions
• Schedule a PPS number appointment — no PPS, no payroll
• Help open a bank account (most Irish banks require proof of address, a chicken-and-egg problem)
• Walk them through registration with Immigration (the IRP card appointment)
How Long Does the Whole Process Actually Take?
From decision to hire to productive employee on site, a realistic 2026 timeline is 4 to 6 months. It breaks down roughly as: 3-4 weeks sourcing, 4 weeks LMNT (in parallel), 5-10 weeks permit processing, 4-8 weeks visa processing, 2-3 weeks travel and onboarding.
Companies that start urgently when a role is already critical are consistently disappointed by the timeline. Hiring internationally works best when it is planned 3-6 months ahead of need.
How Much Does It Cost?
How Recruitroo Runs This End-to-End
Recruitroo manages every step in this guide on a single platform — sourcing, screening, LMNT, permit application, visa support, relocation, onboarding. One team, one system, one price. Our customers see permit success rates at or close to 100% and hire-to-arrival timelines of 3-4 months rather than 5-6, because the handoffs between sourcing, immigration and relocation disappear.
Need to hire internationally? Let's scope your first role.
Tell us the role, the location, and when you need them on site. We'll come back with a plan, a timeline and a quote within 24 hours.
This guide reflects Irish employment permit rules and processing times as of April 2026. Salary thresholds, processing times and DETE guidance change periodically.