Work Permit Skills lists
Work Permit Eligibility for South African Applicants
If you and all your immediate family members hold only South African passports, you will need a work permit to live and work in the Republic of Ireland.
However, if you or your spouse (including De Facto spouse) holds a European Union, Irish, or British passport, there are alternative immigration pathways available to you. In some cases, choosing a work permit may still be beneficial to simplify your move.
Important to Note
Work permits are issued by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI) — not by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS/ISD), now known as Immigration Service Delivery (ISD).
Need Help?
We offer an Eligibility Check for just EUR5. Please email admin@sa2eire.com for more details.
How to Start the Work Permit Process
To determine whether you can apply for a work permit, follow these initial steps:
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Identify your Career SOC Code
Find the SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code and corresponding job description for your career. -
Check the Ineligible Occupations List
Careers on this list cannot qualify for a work permit. -
Review the Critical Skills List
If your career appears here, you may be eligible for a Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP), which is reserved for highly sought-after and highly skilled occupations that are critical to Ireland’s economy. -
Consider a General Employment Permit (GEP)
If your career is on neither list, you may still qualify for a General Employment Permit. This permit covers a broad range of occupations, provided certain criteria and labour market testing are met.
Key Information
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Critical Skills Employment Permits focus on careers critical to Ireland’s growth. These positions are highly demanded, highly skilled, and in short supply.
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General Employment Permits assume all occupations are eligible unless specifically excluded on the Ineligible List.
This permit is attractive because it covers a broader range of roles and may be obtained for employment contracts as short as 12 months. -
All occupations listed on the Critical Skills Occupations List are automatically deemed eligible for a work permit.
Understanding Critical Skills and General Employment Permits
Occupations listed under the Critical Skills Employment Permit are recognised as being critically important to Ireland’s economic growth. These roles are highly skilled, in high demand, and face a significant shortage within the Irish labour market.
In contrast, General Employment Permits operate on a broader principle. Instead of listing specific eligible occupations, the State assumes that all occupations are eligible, unless they are specifically listed on the Ineligible List of Occupations for Employment Permits.
This means that, unless your career appears on the Ineligible List, you may still qualify for a General Employment Permit.
One of the key advantages of the General Employment Permit is its flexibility. It covers a much wider range of occupations compared to other permit types and can be issued for employment contracts of as little as 12 months.
Importantly, all occupations listed on the Critical Skills Occupations List are automatically deemed eligible for a work permit, offering a more straightforward path for applicants in those fields.
“Standard Occupational Classification codes are the codes which categorise careers into a structure. SOC2010 is structured in nine major groups and 25 sub-major groups; it has 90 minor groups and 369-unit groups. Occupations fall broadly into four skill levels:
SOC Codes – Explained Simply
You might be thinking, “HUH? In plain English, please!” — we hear you!
Let’s break it down:
SOC codes (Standard Occupational Classification codes) are used worldwide to group careers into a standardised system. They help governments, employers, and immigration departments easily classify different types of work.
Each career falls under a broader category — identified by a 3-digit code — but this is not the code you’ll use when applying for jobs or a work permit.
Instead, it’s the sub-categories you need to focus on. These break down the general career into more specific types.
For example, under the broad category of “teacher,” the sub-categories might include:
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Primary School Teacher
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High School Teacher
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University Lecturer
Each of these sub-categories has its own 4-digit SOC code, reflecting different qualifications and day-to-day responsibilities.
Important:
When applying for jobs or a work permit, you must use the correct 4-digit SOC code that matches your specific career.
How to Find Your SOC Code:
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There are several tools available, including a large Excel spreadsheet, a UK website, and an American website.
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The codes are largely the same but may be listed under either the 2010 or 2020 versions, depending on the source.
Right now, Ireland is still using the SOC 2010 codes when determining eligible and ineligible occupations for work permits.
However, with a new Minister for Justice currently introducing immigration reforms, changes are expected. It’s a good idea to keep checking the official sites for the latest updates.
This tool is from the Office of National Statistics in the Uk, but as these are worldwide codes, it applies to us in Ireland too.
And a list on an excel sheet can be found HERE with the 2020 and 2010 SOC codes side by side. Follow the link and download where indicated here.
This is an American site with the codes and here is a UK one.
Once you know your SOC code you look up your career on BOTH of these lists to see if you are eligible for a work permit:
The eligible and ineligible employments for employment permits are laid out in regulations and are arrived at following a formalised and evidence-based process which is carried out bi-annually. The process involves obtaining and considering advice from the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) and Skills and Labour Market Research Unit (SMLRU) in SOLAS. It also involves input from relevant Government Departments, Agencies, and industry as necessary.” DBEI.gov.ie
By this point you should know your chances of getting a work permit for Ireland, and have checked the skills lists. So now follow the links to:
