Ireland Green Card
Immigrating to Ireland through this Irish work visa service is based upon candidates working in a pre-arranged position of at least two years duration for a specific employer.
Although a separate Irish work permit scheme is in place, discussed in detail elsewhere on the site, an Irish Green Card application functions in some ways like a UK work permit and work permits in several other countries. Unlike a US Green Card for example perhaps the most well known permit to bear the name, the Irish version is not in itself an immediate grant of permanent residency. Irish Green Cards are granted for a period of two years, which is renewable, however after two years an application for permanent resident status can normally be made. In addition, like a working permit, holders must work in the specified position for the named employer for 12 months after which a change of employment is permitted but only if a new application is submitted.
The popularity of immigrating to Ireland continues to grow and the country offers a comparatively uncomplicated system of immigration visa services. Unlike UK visas, Australian visas, Canadian visas, and most notably USA visas, the Irish system offers a small number of clearly defined routes from the temporary Irish tourist visa to making an application for permanent residency in Ireland. However, immigrating to a new country is an important step and getting it right first time is essential to the success of your relocation to Ireland or any other destination. As a specialist immigration consultancy, Global Visas can help you to determine which immigration route is the right one for you whether you need a short-term Irish visit visa or a longer-term solution, and can help you to secure the most beneficial Irish visa to relocate to Ireland. Visa applications can be managed from your initial enquiry through to a range of on arrival services, and the progress of your visa application can be monitored throughout. Our immigration consultants can provide Irish immigration lawyer advice and will be happy to respond to any queries or concerns you may have.
Visa Benefits
Unlike the United Kingdom, the Irish system does not have a points based immigration service in place and no points assessment is necessary when migrating to Ireland. The Irish Republic has no direct equivalent of the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme or HSMP in the UK, which grants successful applicants the freedom to seek and undertake employment as they wish. However, in Ireland Green Cards are the highest-level employment based route for those who wish to live and work in Ireland, and unlike work permits, they offer the possibility of applying for permanent residence in Ireland after two years.
In addition, unlike working permits for Ireland, when applying for a Green Card no labour market needs test has to be undertaken. This means that a foreign national can be offered a position without the employer needing to demonstrate that no domestic worker was available and qualified to fill the position. Furthermore unlike the usual working permit premise that applications are made by an employer, petitioning for the worker they wish to bring to the country, this Irish visa service can be applied for by either the employer or the employee.
Eligibility
In Ireland, immigration through this route falls into two streams, based primarily on salary, as follows:
- An application can be made where a specified position offers a salary of €60,000 or more. In this category, immigration to Ireland is available for any occupation except those considered to be contrary to the public interest.
- Applications may also be made where the salary on offer is in the range of €30,000 - €59,999. In this category, applications are restricted to strategically important occupations including certain positions in IT, finance, healthcare, construction and engineering. A Global Visas migration consultant will be able to discuss the permissible occupations in detail.
- In both streams, applications for Irish visas will take into account whether or not the applicant has the necessary skills, experience and qualifications to fulfil the position on offer. In addition, applications will need to include documentary evidence of a job offer which details the requirements of the position, the salary being offered and the proposed start date of the candidate.
Employer Requirements
In Ireland, visas for work of this class also require the employer offering the position to fulfil the following criteria:
- An employer must be a registered company trading in Irish territory.
- Employees who migrate to Ireland through this route must be directly employed by the company in question; this excludes agencies, companies who subcontract employees or any other intermediary organisations.
- Companies will not be permitted to bring foreign nationals into the country if their presence would result in more than 50% of a firm’s employees being from outside the EEA.
Dependents
As a Green-card visa for Ireland can be renewed and may lead to a grant of permanent residency in Ireland, it is likely that successful candidates will be living and working in Ireland for some years if not permanently. As a result, spouse immigration and dependent immigration are provided for and the spouse and/or dependents of a candidate may join them in the country. In addition, dependents entering the country under this family immigration service will be permitted to study in Ireland and to work upon securing a spousal work permit or dependent work permit.
