One Application, Not Two: Ireland's Plan for a Single Work Permit and Immigration Procedure
Right now, coming to Ireland to work usually means two separate applications to two different departments. The Government has agreed to develop a single application procedure that would combine them. Here is what is planned and what it means for you.
If you have ever helped someone move to Ireland for work, you know the process has two doors, not one. First you deal with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE) for an employment permit, and then, separately, with the Department of Justice for your immigration permission or entry visa. Two applications, two sets of paperwork, two timelines. The Government has agreed to change that.
What was agreed
In December 2022, the Government agreed in principle to develop a single application procedure that combines the employment permit and the immigration permission into one process. The commitment was set out in parallel announcements from the Department of Enterprise and the Department of Justice.
To turn the idea into a plan, the Government established an Inter Departmental Working Group and asked it to bring forward an implementation plan within six months. The group worked through the operational, policy and legal questions and proposed the timeframes.
Why it matters
Today the two systems run at very different speeds. At the time of the announcement, the Department of Justice noted that employment and study were taking an average of , while the Department of Enterprise was issuing in . When two approvals from two bodies have to line up, the slower one sets the pace, and applicants carry the cost of the duplication.
