Choosing a Permit Type
This is the employer's question, not the candidate's: which permit should you, as the sponsor, actually apply for. The answer usually comes down to one thing first: is the role on the Critical Skills Occupations List, and the salary and advertising requirements follow from that.
CSEP vs GEP, side by side
Critical Skills (CSEP)
- Salary floor
- €40,904 if the role is on the CSOL, or €68,911 for any role
- Labour market test
- Never required
- Retention path
- Stamp 4 at 21 months
Fewer steps, no advertising to run, and a faster path to a decision. Apply here whenever the role qualifies.
General (GEP)
- Salary floor
- €36,605 most roles, €32,691 for horticulture, meat processing, healthcare assistant and home support roles
- Labour market test
- Required unless CSOL-listed or salary exceeds €68,911
- Retention path
- Renewable, Stamp 4 after 5 years
The path for roles not on the CSOL. Budget an extra month for the advertising requirement before you can even file.
How to decide, in order
Is the role on the Critical Skills Occupations List (CSOL)?
Check the role, not the job title: DETE matches against the actual duties and qualification level, not what you call the position internally. If it is listed, CSEP is on the table.
Does the salary clear the CSEP threshold?
€40,904 for a CSOL-listed role, or €68,911 for any role regardless of the list. If the offer clears this and the role is CSOL-listed, apply for CSEP: it is almost always the faster, simpler route for you as the employer.
Not CSOL-eligible? Confirm the GEP salary floor and plan for the LMNT
€36,605 for most roles, €32,691 for the lower-paid sectors DETE has designated. Unless the role is CSOL-listed or the salary exceeds €68,911, you will need to run the Labour Market Needs Test: 28 consecutive days advertised, then a 90-day window from first publication to file.
Build the timeline around the LMNT, not around the application itself
For GEP, the advertising period is the step most employers underestimate. Start the 28-day ad run as soon as you know the role needs it, well before you plan to file, so the 90-day filing window never becomes the bottleneck.
The practical rule of thumb
If the role is CSOL-listed and the offer clears the CSEP salary threshold, apply for CSEP. It removes the Labour Market Needs Test entirely, which is the single biggest source of delay and extra work in the General Employment Permit process. Only fall back to GEP when the role genuinely is not CSOL-eligible. At that point, the LMNT is not optional, so plan the 28-day advertising window into your hiring timeline from the start.