The number of work permits issued for staff from other countries is likely to top 9,000 this year, according to migration agents VisaFirst, compared to 7,353 permits issued in 2015 — an increase of about 20%.

Improvements in the economy and in business sentiment across the board are some of the reasons that 2016 is on track to be a record year for Irish work permits, the agency says.

Edwina Shanahan of VisaFirst said: “From speaking with clients in the construction sector, it seems that a direct result of the recession has been that Ireland now has very few new graduates in the areas of quantity surveying, engineering, etc, which is why we are seeing a new wave of permits being issued to companies in this sector.

“While certain companies need to bring staff from other countries to address skills shortages in particular areas, this is not necessarily a bad reflection on Ireland. The uptake in Irish work permits is actually an indication of a growing economy.

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“Companies are expanding and while Ireland boasts a great workforce of people with qualifications, talent and experience in many areas, like most countries, there are areas in which we are deficient in terms of specialist expertise.”

In the first four months of 2016 employers obtained 2,160 permits to bring in overseas workers. VisaFirst says that a review of the most recent figures shows that the top five employers that have applied to bring non-EU citizens to Ireland to work are the HSE, Google, Intel, Infosys BPO Ltd, and Accenture.

The nationalities that feature most prominently are India — way ahead in numbers — Pakistan, USA, Brazil and Israel.

Shanahan added: “Ireland’s visa processing procedures are pretty efficient. The department has tried to make the service as streamlined as possible to enable companies who need to source employees overseas with particular skills to do so. Obviously, we want to attract business to Ireland and to keep the companies that are already located here, so it’s important that we are seen to be relatively accommodating in this regard”.

The Main Options

Short stay business visas: This visa is available for up to 90 days at a time and must be organised before departure for visa required nationals including China, India, and Russia. There is a specific visa available to facilitate interview of highly skilled applicants and for short term skilled employment periods of up to 90 days.

Working holiday visa: This allows non-nationals to work for one year. The visa is limited to countries that have reciprocal agreements with Ireland.

Work permit: The permit requires an applicant to have a job offer and earn a minimum of €30,000pa. A labour market test needs to be completed to ensure there is no skill set locally available that can do the job. The applicant must process the relevant qualifications, skills or experience that is required for the job. There are limitations on the minimum number of EEA nationals required in the work force.

Critical Skills Permit (previously the Green Card): The permit requires the applicant to earn a remuneration package of €60,000 or more. It is also available to certain occupations earning remuneration package of between €30,000-€60,000 including ICT professionals, professional engineers and technologists, business and financial professionals. Initially issued  for two years, it allows immediate family reunification and can be a pathway to long term residence.

Intra-company Transfer: The permit requires the applicant to earn remuneration of over €30,000pa. The applicant needs to demonstrate that they were working for the overseas company for six months prior to the transfer. Permits are generally defined for the period of the transfer or for up to two years, but they can be extended for up to five years. No labour market test is needed. The permit is strictly limited to senior management, key personnel or those undergoing training programme. There are limitations on the minimum number of EEA nationals required in the work force.

Contract permit: The permit may be issued to facilitate the transfer of non-EU  employees to work on an Irish contract provided the employee in question has been working for a minimum period of 6 month contracts with the overseas company prior to the transfer and that the duration of the transfer is at least 90 days.

R&D permit: a company can be accredited as a ‘research organisation’ in order to hire foreign specialists under hosting agreements.

Investor and Startup visa: This visa programme is for non-EEA nationals and their families with funds to invest in Ireland. Approved applicants will be granted residence in Ireland with possibility of ongoing renewal. Investment categories include public projects, investments into new or existing businesses for defined periods, investment in immigrant investor bonds, or a mixed investment in property and immigrant investor bonds. Investment amounts range from €500,000 up to €2m.