Employment Permits (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2025.

S.I. No. 643/2025 - Employment Permits (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2025 Download PDF Íoslódáil PDF Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in “Iris Oifigiúil” of 30 th December, 2025. I, ALAN DILLON, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by sections 4 10 11 12 13 15 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 39 40 41 43 44 45 46 47 49 50 63 of the Employment Permits Act 2024 (No. 17 of 2024) (as adapted by the Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2020 ( S.I. No. 519 of 2020 )) and the Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) Order 2025 ( S.I. No. 240 of 2025 ), hereby make the following regulations: 1. These Regulations may be cited as the Employment Permits (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2025. 2. (a) These Regulations (other than Regulations 18, 19 and 20) come into operation on 1 March 2026. (b) Regulations 18, 19 and 20 come into operation on the day they are made. 3. In these Regulations— “Principal Regulations” means the Employment Permits Regulations 2024 ( S.I. No. 444 of 2024 “Regulations of 2024” means the Employment Permits (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2024 ( S.I. No. 598 of 2024 ). Amendment of Regulation 9 of Principal Regulations 4. Regulation 9(5)(b) of the Principal Regulations is amended by substituting “€68,911” for “€64,000”. Amendment of Regulation 25 of Principal Regulations 5. The Principal Regulations are amended by substituting for Regulation 25 the following: Eligible employments for critical skills employment permit 25. The employments for which a critical skills employment permit may be granted are all employments other than employments listed in Schedule 4.”. Amendment of Regulation 26 of Principal Regulations 6. Regulation 26 of the Principal Regulations is amended by substituting for paragraphs (a) and (b) the following: “(a) the applicable annual remuneration and hourly rate of remuneration set out in Columns 2 and 3 of the table in Part 1 of Schedule 8, or (b) in the case of employments listed in Schedule 3 which are bound by— (i) a public sector pay agreement for employments in the public sector, including in organisations subject to funding under section 38 of the Health Act 2004 (No. 42 of 2004), or (ii) a Workplace Relations Commission pay agreement linked to a public sector pay agreement for community and voluntary organisation employments, the applicable annual remuneration and hourly rate of pay provided for in such agreement.”. Amendment of Regulation 27 of Principal Regulations 7. Regulation 27 of the Principal Regulations is amended— (a) in paragraph (1), by substituting “listed in Schedule 3” for “referred to in Regulation 25(a)”, and (b) in paragraph (2), by substituting “all other employments other than those listed in Schedule 4” for “employments referred to in Regulation 25(b)”. Amendment of Regulation 32 of Principal Regulations 8. The Principal Regulations are amended by substituting for Regulation 32 the following: Minimum amount of remuneration payable under dependant employment permit 32. The minimum amount of remuneration payable in respect of an employment, as a condition for the grant of a dependant employment permit in respect of it, is the applicable hourly rate of remuneration set out in Column 2 of the table in Part 2 of Schedule 8.”. Amendment of Regulation 38 of Principal Regulations 9. The Principal Regulations are amended by substituting for Regulation 38 the following: Minimum amount of remuneration payable under general employment permit 38. The minimum amount of remuneration payable in respect of an employment, as a condition for the grant of a general employment permit in respect of it, is the applicable annual remuneration and hourly rate of remuneration set out in Columns 2 and 3 of the table in Part 3 of Schedule 8.”. Amendment of Regulation 42 of Principal Regulations 10. Regulation 42(1)(a) of the Principal Regulations is amended by deleting “and for which the minimum annual remuneration is €46,000 and in respect of which the minimum hourly rate is €22.68, and”. Amendment of Regulation 43 of Principal Regulations 11. The Principal Regulations are amended by substituting for Regulation 43 (as amended by Regulation 4 of the Regulations of 2024) the following: Minimum amount of remuneration payable under intra-company transfer employment permit 43. The minimum amount of remuneration payable in respect of an employment, as a condition for the grant of an intra-company transfer employment permit in respect of it, is the applicable annual remuneration and hourly rate of remuneration set out in Columns 2 and 3 of the table in Part 4 of Schedule 8.”. Amendment of Regulation 51 of Principal Regulations 12. The Principal Regulations are amended by substituting for Regulation 51 the following: Minimum amount of remuneration payable under contract for service employment permit 51. The minimum amount of remuneration payable in respect of an employment, as a condition for the grant of a contract for service employment permit in respect of it, is the applicable annual remuneration and hourly rate of remuneration set out in Columns 2 and 3 of the table in Part 5 of Schedule 8.”. Amendment of Regulation 58 of Principal Regulations 13. The Principal Regulations are amended by substituting for Regulation 58 the following: Minimum amount of remuneration payable under reactivation employment permit 58. The minimum amount of remuneration payable in respect of an employment, as a condition for the grant of a reactivation employment permit in respect of it, is the applicable hourly rate of remuneration set out in Column 2 of the table in Part 6 of Schedule 8.”. Amendment of Regulation 62 of Principal Regulations 14. The Principal Regulations are amended by substituting for Regulation 62 the following: Minimum amount of remuneration payable under exchange agreement employment permit 62. The minimum amount of remuneration payable in respect of an employment, as a condition for the grant of an exchange agreement employment permit in respect of it, is the applicable hourly rate of remuneration set out in Column 2 of the table in Part 7 of Schedule 8.”. Amendment of Regulation 66 of Principal Regulations 15. The Principal Regulations (as amended by Regulation 5 of the Regulations of 2024) are amended by substituting for Regulation 66 the following: Minimum amount of remuneration payable under sports and cultural employment permit 66. The minimum amount of remuneration payable in respect of an employment, as a condition for the grant of a sports and cultural employment permit in respect of it, is the applicable hourly rate of remuneration set out in Column 2 of the table in Part 8 of Schedule 8.”. Amendment of Regulation 69 of Principal Regulations 16. The Principal Regulations (as amended by Regulation 5 of the Regulations of 2024) are amended by substituting for Regulation 69 the following: Minimum amount of remuneration payable under internship employment permit 69. The minimum amount of remuneration payable in respect of an employment, as a condition for the grant of an internship employment permit in respect of it, is the applicable hourly rate of remuneration set out in Column 2 of the table in Part 9 of Schedule 8.”. Amendment of Regulation 72E of Principal Regulations 17. The Principal Regulations are amended by substituting for Regulation 72E (inserted by Regulation 9 of the Employment Permit (Amendment) (Seasonal Employment) Regulations 2025 ( S.I. No. 33 of 2025 )) the following: Minimum amount of remuneration payable under seasonal employment permit 72E. The minimum amount of remuneration payable in respect of an employment, as a condition for the grant of a seasonal employment permit in respect of it, is the applicable annual remuneration and hourly rate of remuneration set out in Columns 2 and 3 of the table in Part 10 of Schedule 8.”. Amendment of Schedule 2 of Principal Regulations 18. The Principal Regulations are amended by substituting for Part B of Schedule 2 the following: “Part B Regulatory bodies or Government Minister from which or whom a copy of the registration or recognition of qualifications is required Regulatory body responsible for registration or recognition of qualifications Clinical Dental Technician Dental Council Dental Council Dental Hygienist Dental Council Dispensing Optician Medical Scientist Occupational Therapist Paramedic / Advanced Paramedic / Emergency Medical Technician Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland Physical Therapist Podiatrist/Chiropodists Radiation Therapist Social Care Worker Social Worker Specialist Dentist in Oral Surgery Dental Council Specialist Dentist in Orthodontics Dental Council Speech and Language Therapist Veterinary Practitioner Veterinary Council of Ireland Veterinary Nurse Veterinary Council of Ireland Occupations where regulation is for purposes of access to public sector employment only Minister for Health Biochemist, Clinical Biochemist Minister for Health Environmental Health Officer Minister for Health Minister for Health Minister for Health Physiologist/Technologist: Cardiac, Gastrointestinal, Respiratory, Vascular Irish Institute of Clinical Measurement Physiology on behalf of the Minister for Health Amendment of Schedule 3 of Principal Regulations 19. Schedule 3 to the Principal Regulations is amended— (a) by substituting for the entry at SOC-3 number 221 the following entry: 221 Health Professionals 2211 Medical practitioners 2212 2213 Pharmacist/Industrial Pharmacists 2214 2217 □ Radiographers □ Radiation therapists □ Cardiac physiologist □ Vascular technologists/physiologists □ Gastro Intestinal technologists/physiologists □ Respiratory physiologist 2218 Podiatrist/Chiropodist 2219 □ Audiologists □ Perfusionists □ Dietician □ Medical Scientist ”, and (b) in the entry at SOC-4 number 3218, by deleting “Respiratory physiologist”. Amendment of Schedule 5 to Principal Regulations 20. Schedule 5 (as amended by Regulation 5 of the Employment Permits (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2025 ( S.I. No. 64 of 2025 )) to the Principal Regulations is amended— (a) in the entry for “Dairy Farm Assistant”, (i) in Column 2, by substituting “850” for “406”, and (ii) in Column 3, by substituting “upon the coming into operation of Regulation 20 of the Employment Permits (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2025” for “2nd September 2024”, and (b) in the entry for “Meat Processor Operative”, (i) in Column 2, by substituting “1,000” for “311”, and (ii) in Column 3, by substituting “upon the coming into operation of Regulation 20 of the Employment Permits (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2025” for “2nd September 2024”. Insertion of Schedule 8 into Principal Regulations 21. The Principal Regulations are amended by inserting after Schedule 7 (as amended by Regulation 6 of the Employment Permits (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2024 ( S.I. No. 328 of 2024 )) the following Schedule: Regulations 26, 32, 38, 43, 51, 58, 62, 66, 69 and 72E Schedule 8 Minimum remuneration under employment permits Part 1 Critical skills employment permits Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Employments/qualifications Minimum annual remuneration Minimum hourly rate of remuneration Employments listed in Schedule 3, where the applicant has a qualification referred to in Regulation 27(1)(a) or (b) Employments listed in Schedule 3, where the applicant has a qualification referred to in Regulation 27(1)(c), level 8 or higher, or equivalent, obtained within the 12 month period prior to the date of application for the employment permit Employments listed in Schedule 3, where the applicant has a qualification referred to in Regulation 27(1)(c) obtained more than 12 months prior to the date of application for the employment permit All other eligible employments referred to in Regulation 27(2) Part 2 Dependant employment permits Column 1 Column 2 Minimum hourly rate of remuneration All eligible employments Statutory minimum hourly rate of remuneration Part 3 General employment permits Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Employments/qualifications Minimum annual remuneration Minimum hourly rate of remuneration Horticulture worker or meat processor operative Other eligible employments, where the applicant has a third level degree qualification, level 8 or higher, included on the Irish Register of Qualifications, relevant to the employment concerned, awarded within the 12 month period prior to the date of application for the employment permit All other eligible employments Part 4 Intra-company transfer employment permits Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Minimum annual remuneration Minimum hourly rate of remuneration Employments referred to in Regulation 42(1)(a) Employments referred to in Regulation 42(1)(b) Part 5 Contract for services employment permits Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Minimum annual remuneration Minimum hourly rate of remuneration All eligible employments Part 6 Reactivation employment permits Column 1 Column 2 Minimum hourly rate of remuneration All eligible employments Statutory minimum hourly rate of remuneration Part 7 Exchange agreement employment permits Column 1 Column 2 Minimum hourly rate of remuneration All eligible employments Statutory minimum hourly rate of remuneration Part 8 Sports and cultural employment permits Column 1 Column 2 Minimum hourly rate of remuneration All eligible employments Statutory minimum hourly rate of remuneration Part 9 Internship employment permits Column 1 Column 2 Minimum hourly rate of remuneration All eligible employments Statutory minimum hourly rate of remuneration Part 10 Seasonal employment permits Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Minimum annual remuneration Minimum hourly rate of remuneration All eligible employments GIVEN under my hand, 17 December 2025 ALAN DILLON, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. EXPLANATORY NOTE This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation. These Regulations are made under the Employment Permits Act 2024 . They amend the Employment Permits Regulations 2024 by changing the minimum remuneration payable in respect of employment as a condition of certain employment permits, increasing the quota of General Employment Permits for employment as a dairy farm assistant and meat processor operative and updating Schedules 2 and 3. These Regulations may be cited as the Employment Permits (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2025.