Green Card permits

Rules

Job offer

You must have a job offer from a company or employer who is registered with the Revenue Commissioners, trading in Ireland and registered with the Companies Registration Office. You must be directly employed and paid by your employer in Ireland. Job offers from recruitment agencies and other intermediaries are not acceptable under the scheme. The job offer must be for 2 years or more.

Labour market needs test

A labour market needs test is not required, that is the employer does not need to advertise the job with FÁS/EURES or in newspapers. However, an employment permit will not be granted to companies if the granting of the permit would mean that more than 50% of the employees would be non-EEA nationals.

Qualifications

You must have the relevant qualifications, skills and experience required for the job.

Eligible occupations

There are 2 categories of eligible occupations as follows:
(1) For jobs with annual salaries of €60,000 or more the Green Card permit is available for all occupations (other than certain ineligible job categories and those which are contrary to the public interest)

(2) For jobs with annual salaries of €30,000 – €59,999 Green Card applications may be made for the following occupations listed here:

Eligible occupations (annual salary between €30,000 – €59,999)

Registration and permission to remain

If you are not an EEA or Swiss national you must register with your local immigration officer in the area where you intend to live when you arrive in the State. In the Dublin area, the registration is done at the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). If you are living outside Dublin, you should register at your local Garda District Headquarters. This is in order to obtain permission to remain and to ensure you have the correct immigration status, that is, as an employee. You will be given a Certificate of Registration which is also known as a GNIB card.

Expiry of Green Card permit

The Green Card permit is issued for 2 years and you are not required to renew it. Since 30 August 2010 under revised immigration arrangements, holders of Green Card permits for 2 years or former Green Card permit holders granted stamp 4 for 12 months may be granted a stamp 4 permission for a further 2 years.

Within 2 weeks of the expiry of your Green Card permit or stamp 4 permission to remain you should apply to renew your permission to remain by registering with your local immigration officer - see above. You must have the following documents with you:

• Passport
• Certificate of Registration (GNIB card)
• Your Green Card permit
• Your most recent pay slip

Provided that you are still working in the same occupation, for the same employer and for at least the same salary as stated on your Green Card permit you will be given a Stamp 4 permission for 2 years. This allows you to work in Ireland without a permit and it is an interim arrangement. If the immigration officer is not satisfied that you meet the qualifying criteria you will be given a Stamp 1 permission for 3 months and referred to the Employment Permits Section of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation - see 'How to apply' below.

If you have held only Green Card permits you will not be eligible to apply for long-term residency until the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill 2010 (pdf) is enacted. You can find a list of frequently asked questions about the renewal arrangements for Green Card permit holders on the INIS website.

Visas

If you have a passport from a country whose passport holders require a visa to enter Ireland you should apply for an entry visa from the Irish embassy or consulate in the country where you live.

Dependants

You may apply to have your spouse, civil partner and/or minor dependent children join you once you have obtained your Green Card permit. There is information about family reunification on the INIS website. Spouses, civil partners and dependants of employees on employment permits may be able to obtain spousal/dependant work permits (pdf) provided they are legally resident here.

Changing job

If this is your first employment permit in Ireland then you are expected to remain with your employer for 12 months (unless there are exceptional circumstances). After that you may change employer provided that a new application for a Green Card permit is made.

Losing your job

If you lose your job through redundancy you should notify the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. From 28 August 2009 the Department will allow you a period of 6 months (was 3 months) to find another job. When you find another job you have to apply for a new Green Card permit.

You should contact your local immigration officer to confirm your immigration status - see 'Registration' above. If you have more than 6 months before your GNIB immigration permission expires, you can reside in Ireland under your stamp 1 permission for a further 6 months. If you have less than 6 months' immigration permission you can have your immigration permission extended to 6 months which means you will have to pay €150 for a new GNIB card. If you have not found a new job after 6 months you will be expected to leave Ireland. If you then get an offer of employment in Ireland you may apply for a new employment permit. Further details about the new provisions for non-EEA nationals who are made redundant are on the INIS website. These provisions also apply to non-EEA nationals on work authorisations or working visas.

Work permit holders

If you are a non-EEA national already working in Ireland on a valid work permit you may apply for a Green Card permit provided you meet the criteria. You must return your work permit with your new application for a Green Card permit. If you are not eligible for a Green Card permit you may apply to renew your work permit when it expires. (If you are renewing your work permit the new arrangements apply as regards fees and duration of work permit. The list of ineligible categories applies only to new applications for work permits.)

Intra-company transfer scheme

Since 1 February 2007 a new intra-company transfer scheme (pdf) has been introduced. This scheme allows senior management, key personnel and trainees who are foreign nationals working in an overseas branch of a multi-national company to transfer to the Irish branch. The employee must be earning at least €40,000 a year and have been working for the company for a minimum of 12 months. An intra-company transfer permit may be granted for a maximum of 2 years initially and may be extended to a maximum of 5 years.

Graduate scheme

Non-EEA students who have graduated on or after 1 January 2007 with a level 7 degree may be permitted to remain in Ireland for 6 months and those with a level 8 or higher degree may be permitted to remain for 12 months. The Third Level Graduate Scheme will allow them to find employment and apply for a work permit or Green Card permit. During this 6-month period they may work full time. They must be legally resident in Ireland and should apply for this extension of their student permission (stamp 2) to their local immigration registration office - see 'Registration and permission to remain' above.