The 2024 Employment Permit Act introduces a significant update, it results in empowering certain employment permit holders to change employers after nine months of their initial employment. Below is a comprehensive breakdown of this new provision:
Key Requirements for Changing Employers:
- Permit Validity: The current employment permit must remain valid for at least two months when submitting the change-of-employer application.
- Duration Unchanged: The overall validity of the permit remains the same. If you secure a new position under this scheme, your existing permit will be reissued with the new employer’s details while maintaining the original expiration date.
Important Considerations:
- General Employment Permit (GEP) Holders:
- You may switch employers within the same employment category as defined by the 4-digit SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code.
- Example: If you hold a GEP for SOC code 3562 (“Human Resources and Industrial Relations Officers”), you can apply for roles within the same SOC code category.
- Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) Holders:
- You have more flexibility and can switch to roles within broader employment categories, defined by the 3-digit SOC code.
- Example: A holder with a role under SOC 2421 (“Chartered and Certified Accountants”) can apply for jobs that share the first three SOC digits, (i.e SOC 242) and go for roles that are coded SOC 2423 (“Management Consultants and Business Analysts”).
Additional Points to Note:
- Commencement of New Employment: Employment with the new employer must start within one month of the new permit issuance. Work cannot begin until the updated employment permit is officially reissued.
- Application Limit: Permit holders are allowed a maximum of three employer change applications.
- No Labour Market Needs Test: A labour market test is not required when applying for a change of employer.
Understanding these guidelines is essential for employment permit holders considering new opportunities under the 2024 Act.
Contact us if you are considering an application to change employer. You may be a hiring employer with a good applicant who already has an Irish employment permit.
Check out the DETE’s information note on changes – Employment Permits Act 2024: Information note on key changes »
Visit Actus information on permit types – https://actus.ie/employment-permits/
At Actus, we successfully manage permit and visa acquisition in ta variety of sectors including he global accounting, finance, construction, semiconductor, and high tech manufacturing sectors.
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