Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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859. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the breakdown of the reasons for the refusal of employment permits during 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40763/25]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Ireland operates a managed employment permits system maximising the benefits of economic migration and minimising disruption to Ireland’s labour market.

The State's employment permit system is designed to supplement Ireland's skills and labour supply over the short to medium term by allowing enterprises to recruit nationals from outside the EEA, where such skills or expertise cannot be sourced from within the EEA at that time.

The system is governed by the Employment Permits Act 2024 which came into effect on September 2nd, 2024. This legislation provides the framework for granting employment permits to non-EEA nationals seeking to work in Ireland and outlines the criteria and procedures for employers to follow.

While the Employment Permits Unit does not keep data on the breakdown of refusal reasons where applications are refused, it has provided a list of the most common refusal reasons which include:

The role applied for is on the ineligible list of occupations;

The salary is below the minimum threshold for the role;

Immigration status;

The applicant does not meet the qualification criteria for the role; or

The documentation provided is incomplete (the unit will usually provide an opportunity for the applicant to rectify this before the application is refused).

The full list of refusal reasons is set out in sections 32 and 33 of the Employment Permits Act 2024.