Immigration process for skilled workers to be streamlined

A new policy to streamline the process for highly-skilled workers seeking to live and work in Ireland will be piloted next year.

Currently, applicants must engage with multiple Government processes when they want to live and work in Ireland.

But the pilot project, expected to start in the first half of next year, aims to make the process simpler.

It will test the new Single Permit Procedure for applicants under the Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) scheme.

This scheme aims to attract highly-skilled workers to sectors here that are experiencing labour shortages.

This includes attracting workers to jobs like nursing, software development and IT.

In 2024, more than 17,000 Critical Skills Employment Permits were issued.

The Government said the pilot is part of a commitment in the Programme for Government to cut red tape around the immigration process for highly-skilled workers, and will be delivered under a phased basis.

It says Ireland's economic success depends on "attracting and retaining highly-skilled workers" in key sectors, while delivering a "firm, fair and effective immigration process that protects our borders".