All about Post Study Work Permit in Ireland: Eligibility Criteria, Critical Skills

Post-Study Work Permit in Ireland: Once you have finished your studies in Ireland, you may wish to stay back a little longer and consider taking up a job to gain invaluable work experience in your related field of study as part of your post-study work visa plan. Time spent working abroad will only strengthen your CV and help establish your career once you decide to return to your home country.

If you are enrolled as a full-time student, with an Irish accredited degree, and have the Visa Stamp 2 you may qualify for the Third Level Graduate Scheme. The steps to the process are as follows

1. Students can apply for a non-renewable extension of up to 2 years after course completion. This extension is granted for the purpose of finding suitable employment.
2. Later on, you can apply for a green card (renamed Critical Skills Employment Permit) or work permit (renamed General Employment Permit).

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A new visa stamp – Stamp 1G – is now granted to foreign graduates who are authorized to work under the Third Level Graduate Scheme. So if you are granted Stamp 1G, you don’t need to apply for a visa extension separately.

The extension time also depends on your level of the National Framework of Qualifications. For those pursuing degrees at the level of 8 or above, the period for Graduate Employment Scheme is 12 months. For those with a degree on level 7, a 6-month extension will be provided.

Post-Study Work Visa in Ireland - At a Glance

Level of Education* in Ireland	Ireland Post Study Work Permit Dration
Level 7 – Ordinary Bachelors Degree (three years courses)	12 months
Level 8 – Honors Bachelors Degree / Higher Diploma (four years courses)	12 months
Level 9 – PG Diploma/Masters Degree	24 months
Level 10 – Doctoral Degree / Higher Doctorate	24 months

* Only full-time courses would be eligible for the above-mentioned post-study work permit durations

Latest Update

As a major relief to international students who are pursuing higher studies online from their home countries, Ireland has allowed such students to remain eligible for a post-study work visa in Ireland. International students in the second semester of their programmes from an Irish higher education institute are eligible for post-study work rights if they are studying online outside of Ireland due to COVID-19. The students will remain eligible for the Third level graduate programme.

Students need to fulfil the following criteria to be eligible for PSW extension:

• They need a letter from their college/university stating they were their student for the academic year 2020-2021
• They need a letter from their college/university stating that their course was taught online completely and that they need not attend in-person classes to pursue that course
• Students also need to procure a letter from the concerned body or institute that they earned the award for which they were enrolled

What is a Critical Skills Employment Permit?

Critical Skill Employment Permit Ireland allows students to work in an occupation where there is a shortage of skills in the country. The list is periodically updated by the government and you can access the same on the official website. The Critical Skills Employment Permit in Ireland acts as an incentive to attract and encourage highly skilled people from foreign countries to contribute to the economy of Ireland.

What are the Eligibility Criteria for Ireland’s Critical Skills Employment?

The general requirements for this type of permit include

• The employer must be registered in Ireland
• The contract must be permanent or for at least 2 years in the case of fixed-term contracts
• At least 50% of the company employees need to be EEA nationals. This requirement may be waived if the company is a start-up and is supported by Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland
• The proposed position can’t be on the Ineligible Categories of the Employment list
• If the proposed position is on the Critical Skills List and the applicant has a relevant qualification at least at a degree level, the base salary (not including bonuses and allowances) must be at least €32,000
• Where the base salary is €64,000 or more, the occupation does not need to be on the Critical Skills List and there is no requirement for a relevant degree

If you want to know more about post-study work permits in Ireland, get in touch with us in the comments below or get in touch with our counsellors at Shiksha Study Abroad Counselling. 

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