Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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737. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the average processing time of critical skills employment permits per year from 2021 and to date in 2025; the breakdown per sector of employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47473/25]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The employment permit system is entirely demand-led and is managed through the operation of the Critical Skills Occupations List and the Ineligible Occupations List, which determine which employments are either in high demand or ineligible for consideration. The Critical Skills Employment Permit is Ireland’s premium permit type, targeted at highly skilled individuals in occupations deemed essential to the growth of the Irish economy and where there is a demonstrable shortage of supply in the labour market.

Average Processing Times (2021–2025):

Processing times for Critical Skills Employment Permits have varied over the years, influenced by fluctuations in demand and operational capacity. The average processing times were as follows:

2021: 4–6 weeks

2022: 3–5 weeks

2023: 2–4 weeks

2024: 2–4 weeks

2025 (to date): 24 working days (approx. 4.5 weeks)

In 2021, the Department experienced a significant increase in applications, receiving 27,666 applications — a 69% increase over 2020. This impacted processing times across all permit types. However, substantial improvements were made in 2022 and 2023, including system upgrades and staffing increases, which reduced the number of applications awaiting processing from approximately 11,000 in January 2022 to just over 2,700 by January 2024.

Following the 2023 review of the Occupational Lists, which expanded eligibility for 43 occupations, application volumes increased again in 2024. However, the Department issued a record 39,400 permits in 2024 from 46,600 applications received. Additional temporary resources were assigned in late 2024 to address the resulting backlog, which stood at just over 5,100 at the end of October.

Employment permit applications are processed in date order, but where there are exceptional circumstances, applicants may request that their application be expedited. The Department continues to monitor demand closely and remains committed to maintaining efficient processing timelines while ensuring the system remains responsive to Ireland’s evolving labour market needs.

A breakdown of critical skills employment permits issued by economic sector since 2021 is presented in the attached table.