Employment Permit applicants experiencing delays following December surge

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? Applicants for Trusted Partner and Standard employment permits are experiencing processing delays following a rush of applications toward the end of 2019.

• Implementation time frame: Ongoing.
• Visas/permits affected: Trusted Partner and Standard employment permits.
• Who is affected: Employers and foreign nationals applying for Trusted Partner or Standard employment permits.
• Impact on processing times: Trusted Partner applications are taking about six weeks to process compared to the usual four weeks; Standard applications are taking about 12 weeks to process compared to the usual 11.
• What to watch: Up-to-date information about Employment Permit processing times is available on this Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation website.

Additional information: Companies must apply for an Employment Permit for non-EEA nationals to work in Ireland. These are issued by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation. The department saw a surge in applications in December ahead of Jan. 1 changes to the Employment Permits system, including an increase to the minimum remuneration threshold for some Employment Permit holders. The Irish Times reported this week that there are 2,855 people in the Employment Permit queue, up from about 2,500 at this time last year. The DBEI released a statement this week apologizing “to customers experiencing difficulties as a result of delays” and adding that officials are working to reduce wait times.

Analysis & Comments: Companies and Employment Permit applicants who submitted applications toward the end of 2019 should anticipate delays in processing. Employers may need to adjust time lines and start dates for employees affected by the backlog. Deloitte is notifying impacted clients and updating anticipated Employment Permit processing times. These processing times may continue to increase, and Deloitte will continue to monitor the situation.

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