As an employee of a company, you are entitled to relocate to the office of the company working in a foreign country. This is known as personnel relocation and it can be done only if certain conditions are satisfied.
The employee relocation system is also available in Ireland, thus, eligible candidates can apply for intra-company transfer. Our immigration lawyer in Ireland can present the steps you have to take in order to relocate here.
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What are the visa options for employee relocation to Ireland?
Persons who want to enter the intra-company transfer system have to apply for specific visas or permits that will allow them to arrive here. In Ireland, one can apply for the Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permit.
This document can be granted only to certain types of employees, in accordance with the law on immigration to Ireland. Currently, only the following categories of persons can apply for personnel relocation to Ireland:
- senior management staff;
- key personnel;
- trainee employees.
Outside of these 3 categories, there are 2 other main conditions to be satisfied for employee relocation to Ireland, as follows:
- the applicants work in countries outside the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA);
- they arrive to Ireland from an overseas multinational company that has an office here.
It is mandatory that the company operating abroad and the one in Ireland are part of the same corporate structure.
What are the main conditions for personnel relocation to Ireland?
All applicants for the intra-company transfer visa have to comply with specific conditions, which can slightly vary based on the category of employment (the 3 types of employees). Our immigration lawyer in Ireland has prepared a short list of the basic requirements:
- for the 1st and the 2nd categories of employees, the minimum annual salary requirement is EUR 40,000;
- for the 3rd category, the annual salary requirement is of EUR 30,000;
- the 1st and 2nd category of employees are eligible to apply for employee relocation to Ireland if, at the moment of the application, they have been working in the company abroad for minimum 6 months;
- for trainee employees, the minimum period of employment is of only 1 month prior to the transfer;
- the issuance of the intra-company transfer visa is bound by the payment of a processing fee which costs EUR 500 for permits issued for maximum 6 months and EUR 1,000 for permits issued for a period of 6-24 months.
What is the application process for employee relocation to Ireland?
In order to arrive here for employment, a foreigner must abide by the regulations for immigration to Ireland, which can vary from one visa type to another. First of all, the applicant must comply with the conditions stated above, in order to meet the basic eligibility criteria.
Then, he or she should complete all the steps involved in the application procedure at the end of which the person will obtain residency in Ireland issued for employment purposes.
Please mind that the application procedure should be initiated with minimum 12 weeks prior to the beginning of the employment in Ireland, but it is advisable to start the formalities earlier than the 12 weeks.
The overall procedure is comprised of 3 main steps:
- the application formalities (gathering the necessary paperwork for an employment residence permit in Ireland, submitting the documents and paying the required fees);
- the processing of the application, where the application is analyzed by the Irish institutions;
- the review of the application – applicable when the paperwork was denied.
Please know that during the 2nd stage, the immigration authorities may ask you for additional documents to back up your application. If this will be the case, you will have 28 days to provide the respective documentation, from the day when you received this request.
Our immigration lawyer in Ireland can provide more information concerning this procedure; you can also address to our lawyer if you want to apply for permanent residence in Ireland.
At the end of the 2nd stage the applicant will receive a positive or a negative answer on the application and if the latter applies, the 3rd stage can be initiated. You can receive the assistance of our team in the case in which your application has been denied.
Typically, you will be required to complete a Submission of a Decision for Review Form, which must be submitted in 28 days since you received the refusal for the application.
What should one know regarding residency in Ireland?
Please be aware of the fact that, depending on your nationality, the process for immigration to Ireland can vary. The employment permit for work relocation is not the sole immigration obligation of a foreigner.
In some cases, a visa can be required as well and that can vary based on the country where you arrive from. It is also worth knowing that the employment permit does not automatically mean having permanent residence in Ireland.
This can be acquired under specific circumstances. More so, the employment permit will create the obligation to register for the issuance of a residence permit in Ireland, which is issued as a card.
Upon the arrival in Ireland, the holder of the employment permit has to register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau. Persons who want to remain in this country for the purpose of citizenship in Ireland will eventually have to explore other visa pathways that grant the right to permanent residence.
Being the holder of an intra-company transfer document does not grant this right, as this immigration pathway is designed only for temporary relocation.
Therefore, if you consider citizenship in Ireland or even permanent residency, you should verify what other types of permits you can qualify for once the intra-company transfer contract expires.
Our immigration lawyers in Ireland can present the main options you have in this sense, based on your circumstances (level of employment, experience, field of work, or other visa pathways, such as family reunification, starting a business, etc.).
If you have Irish roots, you can start the citizenship procedures following simpler immigration formalities compared to the naturalization requirements.
Can one renew a permit for intra-company transfer in Ireland?
Yes, personnel relocation in Ireland can be prolonged, according to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Please mind that the renewal of the permit implies the payment of a fee, just like in the case of the issuance of the document.
The law on immigration in Ireland currently stipulates the following fees for the renewal of the permit:
- EUR 500, for permits issued for a period of maximum 6 months;
- EUR 1,000, for permits with a validity of 6 to 24 months;
- EUR 1,500, for permits with a validity of 6 to 36 months.
You must know that if the renewal permit for employee relocation to Ireland has been denied, as an applicant, you are entitled to a refund of the fee. The fee will not be fully refunded, as the applicant can receive 90% of the fee he or she initially paid.
Please mind that in the case in which the employment ceases due to any reasons, the intra-company transfer permit will be annulled.
The holder of the visa for employee relocation to Ireland will have to address to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in maximum 4 weeks from the date of the cancellation of employment.
This must be done as per the rules of the 24(1A) of the Employment Permits Act 2006, on which our immigration lawyer in Ireland can provide more details.
