The Critical Skills Employment Permit is the permit most nurses from outside the EU work on in Ireland. Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives are both on the Critical Skills Occupations List, so no labour market test is needed. The catch is the order: the permit can only be issued once the NMBI accepts your qualification. For most overseas nurses that means passing the RCSI aptitude test or an adaptation period first. This guide follows the official pages as they read on 24 September 2026.
The order things happen in
You come to Ireland first on the Atypical Working Scheme (AWS), with a two-year contract from your future employer. The AWS lets you sit the RCSI test and apply for a permit. It does not let you work. Once you pass and the NMBI gives you your PIN, your employer applies for the Critical Skills Employment Permit. The permission you get under the AWS lasts up to 6 months, and you must have the permit before it runs out. Then you register your permission with immigration. The full AWS rules are in our AWS letter and visa guide.
The Department of Enterprise asks for one extra document from nurses in this position: a copy of the AWS letter of approval, attached to the permit application.
The conditions
| Rule | What the Department of Enterprise says |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Registered Nurses (SOC 2231) and Registered Midwives (SOC 2232) are on the Critical Skills Occupations List |
| Qualification | For a nurse or midwife: a third-level degree or diploma accepted by the NMBI as sufficient for registration |
| Job offer | At least 2 years, from an employer based and trading in Ireland and registered with Revenue |
| Minimum pay | €40,904 a year; €36,848 if you qualified in the 12 months before the application; public sector jobs under a pay agreement: the rate of that agreement |
| What counts as pay | Basic salary, plus health insurance paid to a registered Irish health insurer. Bonuses do not count |
| Employer | At least 50% of its employees must be EEA nationals at the time of application |
| Fee | €1,000; 90% refunded if refused |
| When to apply | Any employment permit application must arrive at least 12 weeks before the proposed start date |
The pay rule matters more for nurses than for most people on this list. The HSE staff nurse scale starts below €40,904, and that is allowed, because public sector jobs covered by a pay agreement are paid at the agreed rate. The December 2025 roadmap that raised the thresholds on 1 March 2026 says the same: critical skills roles in the public service are exempt where the qualification is held. The exception on the permit page covers public sector and Section 38 employers. Outside it, the €40,904 figure is the one in the rules. What HSE nurses actually earn is in our HSE staff nurse pay scale guide.
The roadmap also says the thresholds will keep rising in steps until 2030. Check the permit page for the figure on the day your employer applies.
The fee, and who pays it
Either you or the employer can apply. The fee is €1,000, and 90% comes back if the application fails, always to the applicant. When the employer applies, section 55 of the Employment Permits Act 2024 stops it from deducting the fee, or any charge related to the application, from your pay. The full cost guide puts this next to the NMBI, RCSI and immigration fees.
After the permit: employer, family, Stamp 4
You are expected to stay with the first employer for at least 9 months. A permit for a new employer cannot be considered before then, except for redundancy or circumstances that fundamentally change the job. If you are made redundant, you notify the Department within 4 weeks and have up to 6 months to find another job.
Critical Skills holders can apply for immediate family reunification. Once a spouse, partner or dependant lives here, they can apply for a Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit, which the Department issues free of charge at the moment.
Irish Immigration’s Stamp 4 page (updated 25 February 2026) says you may be eligible for Stamp 4 after 21 months of employment in Ireland on a Critical Skills Employment Permit. Stamp 4 lets you live and work here without an employment permit. On this basis it is renewed every 2 years, and you apply to the Department of Justice directly; the Department of Enterprise support letter was dropped on 30 November 2023.
The step you control
Everything above waits on one result. The permit needs the NMBI PIN, the PIN needs the aptitude test pass, and the AWS clock gives you 6 months in Ireland to get both. A failed first attempt eats weeks of that. Our practice bank covers every heading of the RCSI reading list, with a timed 150-question mock exam and the OSCE paperwork. The pass costs €59 for both parts, and agencies can buy seats for their candidates.
Sources: Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Critical Skills Employment Permit, Employment permits for nurses, Critical Skills Occupations List (list file dated 21 August 2026) and the salary threshold roadmap (2 December 2025); Irish Immigration Atypical Working Scheme for nurses and Stamp 4 upgrades. Checked 24 September 2026.