Moving to Ireland

If you are thinking about moving to Ireland here are some tips.

Apparently Ireland has 7 million cows, 8 million sheep, and only 3.6 million people - more than a third of whom live in or around Dublin!  Therefore Ireland remains a beautiful and un-spoilt country in which to live.

If you would simply like to visit Ireland, most passport holders can visit Ireland for 90 days without any form of Visa.

If you are thinking about moving to Ireland and making the country your new home, here are a few facts and figures about the immigration process, visas, permits and all that jazz.

EU nationals wishing to immigrate to Ireland should experience very few problems entering, living, and working in Ireland and won’t require a residence or work permit when moving there.

Nationals from some other non-EU countries like Australia or the US won’t need a residence permit either but may need a work permit.  Anyone else will need a work permit and a residence permit!

Historically Ireland has been an exporter of skilled people and suffered from a ‘brain drain’ but as Ireland has undergone an incredible economic boom unemployment in the country is now virtually zero and the country has become a net importer of skilled people!

To beat the skills shortage in the country the Irish government introduced a liberal work permit regime, granting work visas from any Irish consulate to people who meet their criteria - basically the offer of a skilled job by a legitimate Irish company.

As the skills shortage has eased, and as new countries have joined the EU, if you come from a non EU country and are not in the computer, medical or architectural industries you may find applying for a work permit tricky! 

Ireland is still keen to attract people with specific high end skills, but if you lack these skills or come from a profession less attractive to the Irish government but are fortunate enough to have found employment in Ireland, your employer can assist you by applying for a work permit for you.

In terms of gaining permanent residence in Ireland, Irish law doesn’t actually allow it to be granted as such.

Instead, someone who has the relevant visas or country of natural residency to stay in Ireland for longer than three months can apply to the police in their area of residence for a Certificate of Registration - this is commonly referred to as the ‘Green Book’.

Completion of the registration process acts as permission to reside in Ireland.