Country Update 2025: IRELAND

Contributed by: Hiro Ino (Hiro Ino & Co. Solicitors & Notary Public)

May 2025

1. Legislative Changes

Employment Permits Act 2024

Effective from 2 September 2024, the Employment Permits Act 2024 introduced several reforms to Ireland's employment permit system:

• Permit Holder Flexibility: Permit holders can now change employers after nine months, enhancing job mobility.

• Agency and Subcontractor Arrangements: The Act allows permit holders to be paid by entities other than their direct employer, facilitating agency and subcontractor work.

• Labour Market Needs Test (LMNT): The requirement for job advertisements in newspapers has been removed, shifting the focus to online platforms.

• Online Permit System: A new cloud-based Employment Permits Online system was launched on 28 April 2025 to streamline the application process.

2. Business Immigration

In 2024, Ireland issued over 38,189 work permits to non-EU nationals, up 24% from 2023.

Healthcare was the main industry to bring in workers, followed by the IT and agriculture sectors. Most permits went to people from India with 13,147 permits issued. This was followed by (4,458), the Philippines (3,944), China (1,903) and Pakistan (1,690).

3. Family based immigration

Spousal Work Rights: As of 15 May 2024, spouses and partners of holders of Intra-Company Transfer and General Employment Permits can work in Ireland without needing a separate permit. They are now issued an Irish Residence Permit (IRP) Stamp 1G instead of Stamp 3.

Stamp 4 Eligibility: From 3 April 2024, certain employment permit holders can apply for Stamp 4 permission after 21 months of employment in the state, rather than 21 months of holding Stamp 1 permission.

4. Asylum

Government approval of International Protection Bill 2025 (incorporating EU Migration and Asylum Pact)

Ireland is overhauling its asylum processing system to expedite decisions and reduce costs.

• Accelerated Processing: The new system aims to decide asylum claims within three months, replacing the current average of 29 months.

• Reception Centres: A network of reception centres will be established to handle claims, with plans to create 14,000 state-owned accommodation beds by 2028.

• Movement Restrictions: Under the EU Migration Pact, some asylum seekers may face movement restrictions and be required to stay in accommodation centres.

• Increased Deportations: The government plans to increase deportations, with projections suggesting over 4,000 deportation orders in 2025.

5. Deportation

Section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999 – still stands.

6. Citizenship

Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan, recently signed an Order to commence legislation for the purpose of revoking Irish citizenship in exceptional cases.

The Supreme Court decision in the case of Ali Damache -v- Minister for Justice (2021) IES6 held that the legislation lacked procedural safeguards where a person is facing the revocation of their Irish citizenship and was thus unconstitutional.

Whilst the powers of the Minister of Justice to revoke Irish citizenship have existed since 1956, to date it has only been revoked in the most serious circumstances. Given the increased approval numbers of Irish citizenship in recent years, and the fact that the Irish passport is now ranked the strongest in the world, it is expected that there may be an increase in the number of Irish citizenships being revoked in future.