There is no standalone permit called the Graduate Employment Permit. What actually exists is better: for 12 months after a Level 8 or higher award, both of Ireland's main employment permits drop their salary floor for you. The General Employment Permit falls from €36,605 to €34,009 where your degree comes from an Irish institution, and the Critical Skills Employment Permit falls from €40,904 to €36,848 for a relevant award from any recognised third-level institution.
The catch is that you are racing two clocks at once: the 12-month graduate rate window that starts at your award, and the Stamp 1G permission that lets you work while you search, 12 months for a Level 8 degree and up to 24 for a masters or PhD. Once the permit issues, it behaves exactly like any other CSEP or GEP, right through to Stamp 4 at 21 or 57 months. Our job is to get you onto the right route while the reduced rates still apply.
This page is the overview. For the full detail on each door, see our two dedicated guides: the Graduate Critical Skills Employment Permit at €36,848 (any recognised institution, no labour market test, Stamp 4 in 21 months) and the Graduate General Employment Permit at €34,009 (Irish degree, usually a 28-day labour market test, Stamp 4 in 57 months).
Made for people like you
Graduates on Stamp 1G
You finished a Level 8 or higher course at an Irish institution and are using the stay-back window to land a sponsoring employer.
Graduates with an offer in hand
You have the job. Now you need the right permit at the right rate, filed before your award turns 12 months old.
Graduates of non-Irish universities
The Critical Skills graduate rate of €36,848 accepts a relevant Level 8+ award from any recognised third-level institution, not just Irish ones.
Employers keeping a graduate hire
You want to hold on to someone past their Stamp 1G and need the permit application done correctly and on time.
Do you qualify?
One idea, two doors: a Level 8 or higher award inside the last 12 months buys you a reduced salary threshold on whichever permit fits the job.
You will need
- A qualification at NFQ Level 8 or above that is relevant to the job on offer
- The award within the previous 12 months: from an Irish institution for the €34,009 GEP rate, or any recognised third-level institution for the €36,848 CSEP rate
- A genuine job offer from an employer registered with Revenue and trading in Ireland, at least 2 years long for the Critical Skills route
- A salary at or above the graduate rate, counting basic pay plus qualifying health insurance only, not bonuses or allowances
- An employer meeting the 50:50 rule, with at least half the workforce EEA nationals
- An in-date permission if you are applying from inside Ireland, usually Stamp 1G or Stamp 2
This route is not for you if
- Your award is below Level 8, and Level 7 courses enrolled after 31 May 2017 do not qualify for Stamp 1G either
- Your award is more than 12 months old at application: the standard thresholds of €36,605 (GEP) or €40,904 (CSEP) apply instead
- The role is on the Ineligible Occupations List, where no employment permit exists at any salary
- You want to freelance or work self-employed: Stamp 1G and employment permits both require direct employment
The two graduate routes, side by side
Critical Skills graduate route
Fast track- Graduate salary rate
- €36,848
- Institution
- Any recognised third-level institution
- Award
- Level 8+, within 12 months of the application
- Labour market test
- Not required
- Job offer
- Minimum 2 years, role on the Critical Skills list
- Stamp 4 after
- 21 months
- Family
- Immediate, partner works on Stamp 1G
General graduate route
- Graduate salary rate
- €34,009
- Institution
- Irish third-level institutions only
- Award
- Level 8+, awarded within the previous 12 months
- Labour market test
- Required, 28 days, unless waived
- Job offer
- Most roles off the Ineligible List
- Stamp 4 after
- 57 months
- Family
- After 12 months, plus an income test
How the journey works
- 01
Map your two clocks
Day 1We pin down the exact date of your award, which starts the 12-month graduate rate window, and the expiry of your Stamp 1G. Level 8 graduates get 12 months of 1G; Level 9 and above get 12 months with a further 12 on renewal if they can show genuine job seeking. Everything else is planned backwards from whichever clock runs out first.
- 02
Choose the route
Week 1If the role sits on the Critical Skills Occupations List and the offer runs at least 2 years, the CSEP at €36,848 is almost always the better door: no advertising, immediate family rights and Stamp 4 in 21 months. Otherwise we build the General Employment Permit case at €34,009, which requires an Irish award.
- 03
Run the labour market test, if needed
Weeks 1-5GEP only. The employer advertises on jobsireland.ie/EURES plus one other online platform, each for at least 28 consecutive days without amendment, and the application must follow within 90 days of first publication. Critical Skills applications skip this step entirely.
- 04
File on Employment Permits Online
The application goes in through the EPOS portal with the fee, ideally at least 12 weeks before the proposed start date and always inside your 12-month rate window. Draft applications are deleted after 28 days, so we file complete or not at all.
- 05
DETE decision and any follow-up
In July 2026 new Critical Skills applications were being decided in roughly 2 to 3 weeks and new General permits in about 6. If DETE requests further information you have 28 days to respond, and we make that response count.
- 06
Register Stamp 1 and start the countdown
Once the permit issues you register with immigration for €300 and move from Stamp 1G to Stamp 1. From here normal permit rules apply: 9 months with your first employer before a change is possible, then Stamp 4 after 21 months on the CSEP or 57 months on the GEP.
What to gather
Start collecting these early. Weak or missing documents are the most common avoidable cause of delays and refusals.
Passport bio page
Valid for at least 6 months when the new permit application goes in
Degree certificate and final transcripts
Final results, provisional results will not do
Award notification letter
Fixes the date your 12-month rate window opened
Current IRP card
Your Stamp 1G or Stamp 2 registration
Signed employment contract
Salary, hours and duration stated clearly, 24 months minimum for the Critical Skills route
Detailed job description
Duties matched to the listed occupation on the CSEP route
Labour market test evidence
GEP route only: both 28-day adverts, unless the test is waived
Employer company details
CRO number, Revenue registration and a validated EPOS account
Salary breakdown
Only basic pay plus health insurance with an HIA-registered insurer counts towards the threshold
Passport-standard photo
Recent, plain background
Every case is different. We confirm your exact list at consultation.
What it costs
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Critical Skills application | €1,000 | Covers a permit of up to 24 months. |
| General Employment Permit application | €500-€1,000 | €500 up to 6 months, €1,000 for 6 to 24 months. |
| Refund if refused or withdrawn | 90% back | Refunded to the applicant, even if someone else paid. |
| IRP registration | €300 | Per registration or renewal, including your Stamp 1G and the new Stamp 1. |
| Our consultation | Fixed fee | Agreed up front at booking, no surprises. |
Government fees are set by DETE and ISD and can change. Employers who pay the permit fee can never recover it from you; that is written into the Employment Permits Act 2024.
How long it takes
Guide figures from current official processing information. Individual cases vary.
Stamp 1G grant, if you still need it
6-8 weeks
Apply within 6 months of being notified of your award. Your Stamp 2 work conditions continue while you wait.
Labour market test (GEP only)
28 days
Both adverts can run in parallel; the permit application must follow within 90 days of first publication.
DETE decision
2-6 weeks
As of July 2026: new Critical Skills applications in roughly 2 to 3 weeks, new General permits in about 6.
Review, if refused
6+ months
In July 2026 DETE was still deciding reviews received in late December 2025, which is exactly why the first filing has to land inside your 12-month window.
Why applications get refused
Most refusals are preventable. These are the patterns we see and design out of every application.
Graduate rate claimed after the window closed
The reduced rates only apply where the award sits within the 12 months before the application. File on month 13 at €34,009 or €36,848 and the salary is simply below the standard threshold.
Avoid it: Diarise your award date on day one and file well inside the anniversary, not the week of it.
GEP graduate rate on a non-Irish award
The €34,009 rate is reserved for graduates of Irish third-level institutions. A degree from abroad does not qualify for it, however recent.
Avoid it: With a non-Irish award, use the CSEP graduate rate of €36,848 if the role is listed, or budget for the standard €36,605 GEP threshold.
Degree not relevant to the role
Both graduate rates require a qualification relevant to the job. A marketing graduate applying for a software role on the graduate rate invites refusal.
Avoid it: Have the match between transcript and job description assessed honestly before filing, not after.
Defective labour market test
On the GEP route, adverts that ran under 28 days, were edited mid-run, omitted the salary or hours, or went stale past the 90-day window all sink the application.
Avoid it: Treat the advert text as a legal document: correct content, untouched for 28 days, application filed promptly afterwards.
Salary counted wrongly
Only basic pay plus health insurance paid to an HIA-registered insurer counts. Bonuses and shift allowances do not, and part-time hours need a higher hourly rate because the threshold divides by 2,028 hours a year.
Avoid it: Get the contract to state a basic salary that clears the threshold on its own, with room to spare.
Employer-side failures
Permits are refused where more than half the workforce is non-EEA, or where the employer's EPOS account and Revenue and CRO details were never validated.
Avoid it: Check the 50:50 mix and portal registration in week one, before you spend your window on anything else.
Common questions
Is the Graduate Employment Permit actually a separate permit?+
No, and knowing that saves confusion. It is the pair of reduced graduate salary rates inside the two main permits: €34,009 on the General Employment Permit and €36,848 on the Critical Skills Employment Permit. Whichever you get behaves exactly like a normal CSEP or GEP afterwards.
Which graduate rate applies to me?+
The GEP rate of €34,009 needs a relevant Level 8 or higher degree from an Irish institution awarded within the previous 12 months. The CSEP rate of €36,848 needs a relevant Level 8+ award from any recognised third-level institution, obtained within the 12 months before the application, plus a listed occupation and a 2-year job offer.
My degree is from outside Ireland. Can I still use a graduate rate?+
Only on the Critical Skills route. The €36,848 CSEP rate accepts any recognised third-level institution, so a recent masters from abroad can qualify. The €34,009 GEP rate is limited to Irish institutions, so a non-Irish graduate on the GEP needs the standard €36,605.
When does the 12-month clock start and stop?+
It runs from the award of your qualification to the date the permit application is made. DETE phrases it as within the 12-month period prior to the date of application. Filing inside the window is what matters; the decision can land after it.
What happens if I miss the window?+
The permits are still open to you, just at the standard thresholds: €36,605 for most GEP roles and €40,904 for a listed Critical Skills role with a relevant degree, both current from 1 March 2026. Nothing else about the application changes, so a missed window is a pay-threshold problem, not a ban.
How long does Stamp 1G give me to find a job?+
A Level 8 award gets 12 months, not renewable. A Level 9 or 10 award gets 12 months with a further 12 on renewal if you show real job seeking, such as interviews and agency sign-ups. You must apply within 6 months of being notified of the award, with final results, and you can only ever access the programme twice.
Can I keep working while the permit application is processing?+
Yes, as long as your Stamp 1G is still valid: it allows full-time work of up to 40 hours a week, though not self-employment. Once the 1G expires you cannot work without the permit, which is why we build in the 12-week lead time DETE asks for rather than filing at the cliff edge.
What happens after the permit issues?+
You register Stamp 1 for €300 and normal permit rules take over: you stay 9 months with your first employer before a change of employer is possible, then apply to immigration for Stamp 4 after 21 months on the CSEP or 57 months on the GEP. All of that time, including your graduate Stamp 1G, is reckonable towards citizenship, which generally needs 5 years.
Grounded in official sources
Ready to talk through your next step?
Book a consultation with our team and leave with a clear, personal plan grounded in the official rules.
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