Critical Skills Employment Permit: how Australians go from Stamp 1 to Stamp 4

If you're over 35, or done with bar work, this is the permit to aim for. Land a skilled job, put in 21 months, and you can work in Ireland without a permit at all.

The short version

• From 1 March 2026 the Critical Skills Employment Permit needs a salary of at least €40,904 for jobs on the Critical Skills Occupations List, or €68,911 for most other eligible jobs [1].
• You need a job offer of at least two years from an Irish-registered employer. No labour market test is required [1].
• The permit costs €1,000, plus €300 for your Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card [1].
• After 21 months working on the permit, you can apply for Stamp 4, which lets you live and work in Ireland without an employment permit [1][3].
• The General Employment Permit is the slower route: a lower salary floor, but 57 months before Stamp 4 [2].

Critical Skills vs General Employment Permit

Ireland has several employment permits, but for most skilled Australians it comes down to two. Here's how they compare in 2026.

The difference is huge. Critical Skills holders can bring a partner from day one and reach Stamp 4 in under two years. General permit holders wait almost five years. If your job and salary can possibly fit Critical Skills, aim for it.

Which jobs qualify

The Critical Skills Occupations List covers roles in areas such as medicine, ICT, sciences, finance and business [7]. The full list sits on the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment's website and is reviewed from time to time, so check it against your exact job title [7].

Not on the list? You can still qualify at the higher €68,911 salary, as long as your job isn't on the ineligible occupations list [1]. Graduates get a break too: if you earned your degree in the 12 months before applying, the floor for listed jobs drops to €36,848 [1].

Qualifications

For the €40,904 band you need a degree or higher. For the €68,911 band, a degree or equivalent experience is accepted [1]. Nurses and midwives need registration recognised by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland [1]. Australian degrees are generally well understood by Irish employers, but have your transcripts ready.

The rules your employer has to meet

The permit is tied to a real Irish employer, not a recruiter. According to Citizens Information [1]:

• The employer must be registered with Revenue, trading in Ireland and registered with the Companies Registration Office.
• You must be employed and paid directly by them. Offers through recruitment agencies or intermediaries aren't accepted.
• No more than half the company's workforce can be non-EEA nationals, though this can be waived for some start-ups supported by Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland.

Either you or your employer can pay the €1,000 fee. If the application is refused or withdrawn, 90% is refunded [1]. If it's refused, you get reasons and have 28 days to ask for a review [1]. The Department publishes current processing dates on its website rather than a fixed timeframe, so check before you hand in notice in Australia [1].

From job offer to Stamp 1, step by step

1. Land the offer. Get a written contract for at least two years that meets the salary threshold [1].
2. Apply for the permit. This is done through the Department's online system, usually by your employer.
3. Fly in with your permit. Australians don't need an entry visa, but you must show your permit to immigration at Dublin Airport [1][9].
4. Book your registration. Anyone from outside the EU, UK or Switzerland staying more than 90 days must register [4]. You set up an online customer account and book an appointment, which you can only do once you've arrived [5].
5. Attend Burgh Quay. Dublin residents register at the Registration Office at 13–14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2 [4]. Bring originals: your passport, proof of address, your permit and the other documents on the required list [5]. Incomplete applications aren't processed [5].
6. Pay €300 and get your IRP card. This card, showing Stamp 1, is your proof of permission to live and work here [1].

Changing jobs on a Critical Skills permit

From 2 September 2024, if this is your first Irish employment permit, you must stay with your first employer for nine months unless there are exceptional circumstances [1]. After that you can move, but only within the same occupation, with a reissued permit, and a maximum of three change-of-employer applications [1]. If you're made redundant, tell the Department within 28 days. You then have six months to find another job [1].

Moving to Stamp 4 after 21 months

This is the prize. Stamp 4 lets you live and work in Ireland with no employment permit. It's issued for two years and can be renewed [1].

Irish Immigration Service Delivery says you're eligible once you've:

• been living in Ireland on a Stamp 1 or 1H permission, and
• completed 21 months of employment in Ireland on a Critical Skills Employment Permit [3].

Your start date is checked using the "Employment Detail Summary" in Revenue's myAccount [3]. That means registering your job properly with Revenue from day one pays off later. The Department of Enterprise no longer issues Stamp 4 support letters, so you apply through the immigration registration system with your documents [3].

Critical Skills time and General Employment Permit time aren't interchangeable. Months on a Critical Skills permit don't count towards the 57-month General permit route, and vice versa [3].

After five years of legal residence, you may be able to apply for Irish citizenship by naturalisation [1]. Got an Irish grandparent? Read our citizenship by descent guide first, because it could save you the whole permit process.

How this compares with the working holiday

Many Australians start on the Working Holiday Authorisation, then look for a way to stay.

If you're already in Ireland on another permission, Citizens Information says you may be able to apply for a Critical Skills permit if you meet the criteria, then change your registration [1]. Listed permissions include Stamps 1, 1G, 2, 2A and 3 [1]. Working holiday makers should check their own situation with Immigration Service Delivery before relying on a switch.

The Australian angle

• Bring your partner. A spouse or partner of a Critical Skills holder who registers on Stamp 1G can work without a permit [1]. De facto partners need to show proof of the relationship, so gather evidence before you leave.
• Super stops. An Irish employer won't pay Australian super. Your retirement savings in Ireland build through PRSI and any Irish pension scheme. Read our guide to super while living overseas.
• Pension rights still count. The Australia–Ireland Social Security Agreement lets periods of Irish insurance count towards Australian residence requirements for the Age Pension, and vice versa [8]. It doesn't cover super [8].
• Tax residency. A two-year contract usually means you become an Irish tax resident. Tell the ATO and read our tax residency guide.
• Consular help. The Australian Embassy is at 47–49 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, and Smartraveller rates Ireland at "exercise normal safety precautions" [9].

Weighing up an offer? Ask in Cooee Ireland, our Facebook group for Australians in Ireland. Plenty of members have made the jump from Stamp 1 to Stamp 4 and can tell you what the Burgh Quay queue is really like.

Sources

1. Critical Skills Employment Permit – Citizens Information
2. General Employment Permit – Citizens Information
3. Update to eligibility requirements for Stamp 4 upgrades – Irish Immigration Service Delivery
4. Registering your immigration permission – Irish Immigration Service Delivery
5. Required documents for first registration – Irish Immigration Service Delivery
6. Working Holiday Authorisations – Embassy of Ireland, Australia
7. Highly Skilled Eligible Occupations List – Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment
8. Social Security Agreement between Australia and Ireland FAQ – Department of Social Services
9. Ireland travel advice – Smartraveller

Keep reading

• Moving to Dublin from Australia: the complete guide
• Irish citizenship by descent and working in Dublin
• Getting a PPS number in Dublin: proof of address and MyGovID
• Super while living overseas