The Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) is Ireland's flagship work permit for skilled non-EEA professionals. It is the fastest route to a Stamp 4 permission, it lets your spouse or partner work without their own permit, and it skips the labour market needs test that slows down other permit types. This guide sets out the 2026 rules so you can check whether you qualify before you accept a job offer.
Who qualifies
| Route | Minimum annual salary (from 1 March 2026) | Other conditions |
| Occupation on the Critical Skills Occupations List | €40,904 | Degree or higher; 2-year job offer |
| CSOL role, qualified in the last 12 months | €36,848 | Recognised qualification; 2-year job offer |
| Any eligible occupation (not on the Ineligible list) | €68,911 | Degree or sufficient experience; 2-year job offer |
Remuneration for the threshold means basic salary plus health insurance paid by the employer. Bonuses, overtime and allowances do not count.
Which occupations are on the list
The CSOL is published by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE) and reviewed periodically. As of September 2026 it covers roles in medicine, ICT, sciences, engineering, finance and business, including:
- Programmers, software developers, web developers, IT business analysts, IT project managers and ICT directors
- Civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, electronics, chemical and design engineers, plus site managers and project engineers
- Medical practitioners, registered nurses and midwives, pharmacists, radiographers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists
- Chemical, biological and physical scientists in manufacturing and biotech, and medical laboratory scientists
- Chartered and certified accountants, tax specialists and data analytics consultants
Always download the current list from enterprise.gov.ie before you apply, because roles are added and removed after each review.
Fee, processing time and how to apply
Either you or your employer can submit the application through the Employment Permits Online portal. The fee is €1,000, and 90% is refunded if the application is refused or withdrawn. Your employer cannot deduct the fee from your pay. No labour market needs test is needed, so the employer does not have to advertise the role first. If refused, you can ask for a review within 28 days.
Processing is in date order. On 11 September 2026 DETE was working on CSEP applications received on 3 September 2026, so a complete application was taking roughly a week or two. Renewals and other categories were further behind, with renewal applications from 22 June 2026 being processed on the same date. Check the live processing dates page before you resign from your current job.
| Item | Figure (September 2026) |
| Application fee | €1,000 (90% refunded if refused) |
| Permit duration | 2 years |
| Current processing (new CSEP) | Applications received 3 September 2026 being processed on 11 September 2026 |
| IRP registration fee after arrival | €300 |
| Minimum time with first employer | 9 months |
After you arrive: registration and changing jobs
The permit is not a residence permission on its own. Within 90 days of arrival you must register with Immigration Service Delivery and pay €300 for an Irish Residence Permit, which will show Stamp 1. Since the Employment Permits Act 2024 came into force on 2 September 2024, you must stay with your first employer for at least 9 months unless you are made redundant or the employment relationship changes fundamentally. After that you can move to a new employer with a fresh CSEP application.
Family reunification
CSEP holders can apply for immediate family reunification for a spouse, de facto partner and dependent children, without a waiting period. Once in Ireland, your spouse or partner registers for a Stamp 1G permission, which allows them to take any job without an employment permit. Time on Stamp 1G counts as reckonable residence for citizenship. Other dependants can apply for a Dependant, Partner or Spouse Employment Permit, which is free.
The path to Stamp 4 and citizenship
The permit is issued for 2 years. After 21 months of working on it you can apply directly to the Department of Justice for Stamp 4, which lets you work for any employer or run a business without a permit. No support letter from DETE has been required since 30 November 2023. Stamp 4 is granted for 2 years and is renewable. After 5 years of reckonable residence (with 1 continuous year immediately before applying) you can apply for naturalisation. Note that a bill proposed in September 2026 would extend the residence requirement to 8 years; it has not been enacted, so check the current rules when you are close to applying.
