Contract For Service Employment Permit
The Contract for Services Employment Permit is designed for situations where a foreign contractor has won a contract to provide services to an Irish entity on a contract for services basis and to facilitate the transfer of non-EEA employees to work on the Irish contract in Ireland.
The contract involved must be a one-to-one contract with an Irish entity – proof of this contract is usually requested. Employment permits will not be considered where work is being subcontracted to a third party. Permits can only be considered for the term of the contact. Applications may be granted for a maximum period of up to 24 months in the first instance and may be extended upon application to a maximum stay of 5 years.
Employee Criteria
- Contract for Services Employment Permits are for the service of the contract and cannot be considered for any occupations listed in the Ineligible List of Occupations for Employment Permits or those contrary to the public interest.
- The employee in question must have been working for a minimum period of 6 months with the Contractor prior to transfer
- At the end of the contract or when the permit expires the permit holder in question must leave the State.
- A permit holder after holding a Contract for Services Employment Permit for one year may apply for an alternative employment permit, for example, a Critical Skills Employment Permit or a General Employment Permit. The application will be evaluated in line with the normal applicable criteria and rules for the employment permit type.
- Spouses/dependants/partners of Contract for Service Employment Permit holders are not eligible for a Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit and must apply for a separate employment permit in their own right, for example, a Critical Skills Employment Permit or a General Employment Permit.
Employer, that is, the ‘Contractor’ criteria
- The Contractor in question must be registered with the Revenue Commissioners as an employer, and, if applicable, be registered with the Companies Registration Office.
- Employment permits will not issue unless at the time of application at least 50% of the employees of the Contractor or the Relevant Person (that is, person in the State with whom a contractor has entered into a contract of service) are EEA nationals.
A Labour Market Needs Test is required in most cases, other than:
- Applications in respect of occupations on the Critical Skills Occupations List.
- Where the job offer is in respect of an eligible employment with a minimum annual remuneration of €64,000, or
- Applications submitted with a recommendation from the Enterprise Development Agencies (this applies to client companies of Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland only).