Public consultation period open on changes to Critical Skills Occupations List and Ineligible Occupations List

IMPACT – HIGH

What is the news? The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation has opened a public consultation period seeking comments and recommendations regarding the Critical Skills Occupations List and Ineligible Occupations List.

What does it mean? The public consultation allows Irish employers to help shape government policy on high-skilled immigration by providing input regarding skilled jobs that are difficult to recruit EEA employees for and for which they should be allowed to recruit from outside the EEA.

• Implementation time frame: The public consultation period opened Jan. 21 and closes March 2 at 5 p.m. (GMT).
• Visas/permits affected: General Employment Permits and Critical Skills Employment Permits.
• Business impact: The lists determine which jobs are eligible to be filled by foreign nationals.
• Next steps: Companies interested in submitting comments must use the submission form found on the department’s website and submit it via email to empu@dbei.gov.ie.

Background: The Critical Skills Occupation List is comprised of high-skilled jobs that are experiencing labor or skills shortages and are critical to the Irish economy. The current Critical Skills Occupations List is available here. The Ineligible Occupations List is comprised of jobs for which there are sufficient Irish/EEA workers available to fill, and therefore ineligible to be filled by non-EEA workers. The current Ineligible Occupations List is available here.

Analysis & Comments: The public consultation process informs the department’s review of the lists, and the government will review all comments before making changes to the lists. Businesses are encouraged to submit comments before the March 2 deadline regarding their current skills shortages and labor demands, as well as other information and evidence that would support the need for certain occupations to remain on or be added to the Critical Skills Occupations List or removed from the Ineligible Occupations List. The department may publish information submitted by the public and share it with other relevant government departments. Businesses should indicate if they are including commercially sensitive information on their submission form and the reasons why it should not be made public.

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