Master prompt
Employment Permit English-language requirement audit (Ireland - General / Critical Skills)
Audit English-language expectations for General Employment Permit and Critical Skills Employment Permit applications — no statutory test, but employer due diligence; minimum salary thresholds; sponsor responsibilities under Employment Permits Act 2024.
IrelandEmployment PermitGeneral Employment PermitCritical SkillsEmployment Permits Act 2024English requirement
Audit the English-language position for [CLIENT_NAME]'s [PERMIT_TYPE] application for the role of [JOB_TITLE] with [EMPLOYER_NAME]. Note: Ireland's Employment Permits regime under the Employment Permits Act 2024 (consolidating the 2003-2014 Acts) imposes NO statutory English-language test on the permit applicant. Language adequacy is a matter for the sponsoring employer's due diligence and, where the role is regulated, the regulatory body (CORU / NMBI / Medical Council / Teaching Council).
CASE SUMMARY
- Permit type: [PERMIT_TYPE]
- Job title: [JOB_TITLE]
- Critical Skills Occupations List: Verify
- Offered salary: EUR [OFFERED_SALARY_EUR]
- Employer: [EMPLOYER_NAME]
- Regulated profession: No
- Current language evidence: No formal test
§1 - STATUTORY POSITION
The Employment Permits Act 2024 (and its predecessor 2003-2014 Acts) sets out the permit categories, eligibility, salary thresholds, and labour-market test (where applicable). The Act contains NO English-language test. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) - which decides permit applications - does NOT examine the applicant's spoken or written English.
Practical consequence: the applicant does NOT need to upload an IELTS / TOEFL score with the permit application.
§2 - WHERE LANGUAGE STILL MATTERS
(a) Regulated profession registration (if No is Yes)
Nursing (NMBI - Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland):
- IELTS Academic: 7.0 overall, with minimum 7.0 in Listening,
Reading, Speaking; and 6.5 in Writing
- OR OET: B in Listening, Reading, Speaking; B in Writing
- OR completion of a recognised English-medium nursing programme
- OR Medium of Instruction exemption (limited - verify NMBI current
policy)
Medicine (Medical Council of Ireland):
- IELTS Academic: 7.0 overall, no sub-test below 7.0
- OR OET: B in all four sub-tests
- PLUS PRES / IMC examinations (post-language)
Pharmacy (PSI - Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland):
- IELTS Academic: 7.0 overall, no sub-test below 6.5 (verify
current PSI standard)
Physiotherapy / Occupational Therapy / Speech and Language Therapy /
Other CORU-regulated professions:
- CORU language requirement: IELTS Academic 7.0 overall, 6.5 in
each sub-test (verify per profession)
Teaching (Teaching Council):
- For overseas-qualified teachers: IELTS 6.5+ typically; Medium of
Instruction letter for English-medium degree route
(b) Sponsor employer due diligence
The employer must be able to attest that the applicant can perform
the role. For roles requiring English communication (most
professional roles), the employer will commonly check:
- Telephone / video interview in English
- Written work sample
- Reference checks
- Where applicable, an IELTS / TOEFL score
(c) Port-of-entry s.4 check
At Dublin / Cork / Shannon airport, the Immigration Officer (IO)
may ask informal questions to verify the permit holder is the
person named and intends to take up the role. Practical English is
expected; failure to communicate basic role details can lead to
refusal of leave to land (rare for permit-holders, but possible).
§3 - SALARY THRESHOLD CROSS-CHECK
The Employment Permits Act 2024 + DETE published salary thresholds
(verify mid-2026 current schedule):
Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP):
- Salary EUR 64,000+ for any occupation NOT on the Ineligible
Occupations List, OR
- Salary EUR 38,000+ if on the Critical Skills Occupations List
(CSOL) and holding a relevant degree
General Employment Permit (GEP):
- Salary EUR 34,000 (verify - threshold has moved repeatedly)
- Labour-market test required (employer must have advertised the
role via EURES, Jobs Ireland, and a national / regional source for
a minimum of 28 days)
Cross-check [OFFERED_SALARY_EUR] against the relevant threshold for
[PERMIT_TYPE]:
- If GEP and [OFFERED_SALARY_EUR] < 34,000: PERMIT NOT VIABLE
- If CSEP and [OFFERED_SALARY_EUR] < 38,000 (CSOL) or < 64,000
(non-CSOL): PERMIT NOT VIABLE on Critical Skills route
§4 - CRITICAL SKILLS OCCUPATIONS LIST (CSOL) CHECK
Current CSOL (verify mid-2026) typically includes:
- ICT Professionals (Software Engineers, Data Scientists, Cybersecurity,
DevOps, ML / AI Engineers)
- Engineers (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Biomedical, Process,
Software Engineering Manager)
- Healthcare Professionals (Doctors, Pharmacists, Radiographers, certain
Nurses in shortage, Speech and Language Therapists, etc.)
- Construction (Quantity Surveyor, Senior Site Manager - verify)
- Financial Services (Quants, Actuaries)
- Audit / Tax / Accounting at senior levels
If [JOB_TITLE] is on CSOL and [OFFERED_SALARY_EUR] >= 38,000: Critical
Skills route open.
If [JOB_TITLE] is NOT on CSOL but [OFFERED_SALARY_EUR] >= 64,000: still
Critical Skills if not on Ineligible List.
Else: General Employment Permit route.
§5 - DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE - WHAT TO UPLOAD TO EPOS (Employment Permits
Online System)
For the permit itself (DETE):
- No language test required by DETE
- Contract of employment / offer letter
- Passport biographical page
- Educational qualifications (if Critical Skills)
- Employer letter confirming role
For the Stamp 1 / Stamp 1G visa application after permit grant (ISD):
- Permit decision letter
- Passport
- Contract
- No language test required
For regulated professional registration (separate body):
- IELTS / OET / equivalent (per §2 above)
- Original transcripts
- PCC / character references
- Profession-specific examinations (where applicable)
§6 - CASE-SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATION
Based on [PERMIT_TYPE] / [JOB_TITLE] / No /
No formal test:
If No is Yes (Nursing / Medicine / Pharmacy / CORU /
Teaching):
- Language test mandatory for regulatory registration
- IELTS Academic 7.0 or OET B target depending on profession
- Test must be taken BEFORE regulatory registration (often before
employer offer is firmed up)
- Employment permit can be sought in parallel once offer is conditional
on registration
If No is No AND No formal test
demonstrates English-medium degree from a recognised institution
(IIT / NIT / IIIT / Anna / Manipal / VIT / etc.):
- No language test required for permit OR Stamp 1
- Optional: take IELTS Academic 7.0 to support naturalisation
narrative later (no test required for naturalisation but officer
may make informal assessment)
If No is No AND No formal test is weak:
- Permit and Stamp 1 don't require test
- Employer's offer is the binding gate - if employer accepts the
candidate, no further test needed
§7 - COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS TO CORRECT
(a) "I need IELTS for an Irish work permit" - FALSE for the permit
itself; only true for regulated professions
(b) "IELTS General is fine for nursing" - FALSE - NMBI requires IELTS
Academic 7.0 (General is not accepted)
(c) "OET is only for nurses" - FALSE - OET is accepted by NMBI,
Medical Council, CORU, and several other regulators
(d) "Medium of Instruction letter is enough for NMBI" - PARTIALLY
TRUE - NMBI's MOI route has tightened; verify current policy
(e) "Stamp 1 / Stamp 1G language test required at IRP renewal" - FALSE
- no language test for Stamp renewals
§8 - REVIEW BEFORE FILING
- Confirm [PERMIT_TYPE] threshold met by [OFFERED_SALARY_EUR]
- Confirm regulated-profession track if No is Yes
- Confirm language test (IELTS Academic / OET / etc.) scheduled or
completed if relevant
- Confirm employer is registered on EPOS and has labour-market test
completed (GEP) OR exemption (CSEP)
End with: "DRAFT - for solicitor or qualified immigration consultant review. Verify against current ISD and DETE Employment Permit policy guidance and the relevant regulatory body's published language standards (NMBI / CORU / Medical Council / PSI / Teaching Council) before submission. Salary thresholds and the Critical Skills Occupations List are revised regularly - confirm current position. Not legal advice."Unlock the vault to see the full prompt