Refusal of work permits

You will be refused a work permit where you:

• Entered the state on the basis that you are not taking up employment, for example, as a visitor
• Are in the state illegally or you no longer comply with the conditions under which you were admitted
• Have been asked by the Department of Justice and Law Reform to leave the state
• Are in the process of being deported
• Are seeking employment with a non-European Economic Area/Swiss employer who is operating in the state without business permission from the Minister for Justice and Law Reform

Students

It is a primary condition of entry into the state for students that they are in a position to maintain themselves while studying here. From 18 April 2005 new students given permission to remain in Ireland for study will not be given permission to work (defined as up to 20 hours part-time work per week or full-time work during holiday periods) unless they are attending a full-time course of at least a year leading to a recognised qualification. There is a list of recognised courses on the Department of Education and Skills website. Students who had permission to remain on 18 April 2005 can continue to work part-time and study in Ireland for the remaining period of their visa.
From 10 April 2007 non-EEA students who have graduated on or after 1 January 2007 with a primary, master's or doctorate degree may be permitted to remain in Ireland for 6 months. The degree must be from an Irish third-level educational institution. The Third Level Graduate Scheme (pdf) will allow them to find employment and apply for a work permit or Green Card permit. During this 6-month period they may work full time. They must be legally resident in Ireland and should apply for this extension of their student permission (stamp 2) to their local immigration registration office - see "Registration and permission to remain" above.