Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Changes to the employment permits system for workers from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) to address skills shortages in Ireland’s care workers and home carer sector were announced by my Department on 16 December 2022. A quota of 1000 permits was made available for this sector.

Applications for General Employment Permits (GEP) in respect of these roles can only be submitted when a valid Labour Market Needs Test (LMNT) has been undertaken. To meet the requirements of the LMNT, an employer must advertise the vacancy with the Department of Social Protection Employment Services/EURES employment network for at least 28 consecutive days without any edits or amendments.

As of 2 October 2023, 260 Employment Permits have issued in respect of home carers (this includes 257 permits from the quota and three permits which were granted under specific conditions outside the quota). The total number of permits refused in respect of care workers and home carers is 19.

It is not possible to give precise figures for the number of applications awaiting processing and the number of applications returned at pre-check stages. This is because an application is only assigned a SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code identifier at the processing stage. However, an estimation (based on a keyword search of applications) of the number of applications awaiting processing indicates that this figure is in the region of 23. The approximate number of applications returned at pre-check stage is 73. Applications are returned at pre-check stage due to incomplete documentation being submitted. Where this occurs, the application is returned together with the fee, and the applicant is advised to submit a new, complete application.