Employment Permits

Visa requirements for entering Ireland (citizensinformation.ie)

For Hosting Agreement (Research Staff) information, please refer to Hosting Agreement FAQ's - University of Galway

Work Permits / Critical Skills Permit (for non Research staff):

Employees coming to University of Galway  from outside the EU/EEA generally require an employment permit to work legally in Ireland. As there are a number of options available please consult the information below to find out who needs an employment permit, which form of permit is most suitable and how to acquire one. Managers should familiarise themselves with the information below prior to engaging the employee on contract.

The Employment Permits Act 2003 states that a Non-EU national may not work in the State without an employment permit having been granted by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade, & Employment. It is an offence for both the employer and the employee where employment is entered into in the absence of a requisite permit. Penalties for such an offence is punishable as follows:

• fine up to € 3,000 and/or up to 12 months in prison on summary conviction
• fine up to € 250,000 and/or up to 10 years in prison conviction on indictment

Work permits are issued to individual employers and are not transferable.

Under a special agreement between the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment (DETE), FÁS, and the Conference of Heads of Irish Universities (CHIU), new operational procedures relating to Work Permit applications apply to the seven Universities established under the Universities Act 1997 and represented by CHIU, which includes the National University of Ireland, Galway.

The Human Resources Office will process and make contact with the Department of Enterprise, Trade, & Employment in relation to all work permit applications in respect of prospective employees or renewal of work permits for existing employees of University of Galway. The importance of accuracy and full completion of work permit applications is essential, as the Work Permits Section will not process applications which have not been completed correctly - the application will either be returned to the University or refused outright.

For further information on work permit requirements, please refer to the  Department of Enterprise and Employment website 

Registration

Once the application has been fully considered, a decision by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment will be taken to either issue or refuse a permit. The period of validity of a permit will normally begin on the date of issue and will not, in any case, exceed one calendar year.

After the work permit is issued, it is necessary for the employee to ensure their residency stamp is up to date. In order to do this, they must contact the Garda Immigration Bureau on Harcourt Square, Harcourt Street, Dublin 2 (phone 01 4755555) or the Immigration Office at their local Garda station.

Further Information

It is the responsibility of the applicant to obtain, where necessary, a valid visa for entry to the country for the purposes of interview or to take up residence. Applications for working visas will be accepted from persons outside the country only. Visa applications must be made to the Irish Embassy or Consulate in the country of origin. Immigration Officers retain discretion in particular circumstances to refuse entry to any non-national. Further detailed information regarding entry visas is available from the Department of Justice website

More detailed information regarding the work permits is available from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment website