General Work Permits (GWP) are issued by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment  (DETE)

Unlike Critical Skills Employment Permits where the State specifies eligible occupations, General Employment Permits assume all occupations to be eligible unless otherwise specified.

Therefore, all occupations are eligible unless excluded under the  Ineligible List of Occupations for Employment Permits.

The main attraction of the General Employment Permit for prospective candidates is that it permits a broader range of occupations than the other classes of employment permit and may be obtained in respect of a 12 month contract of employment. All occupations under the Critical Skills Occupations List are deemed eligible.

Jobs with annual salaries of €64,000 or more occupations (other than those on the Ineligible job categories and those which are contrary to the public interest) may be eligible for a Critical skills work permit.

Eligibility

We will assume now that you have done the SOC code checks Here and that you know you are neither Critical skills nor Ineligible, and as your career appears on neither list you are seeking a General Work Permit/ General Employment Permit (GWP or GEP)

GWP applicants are where their career is neither on the ineligible list of careers (or DETE has deemed a limited number of permits available for a short period of time, a quota of jobs advertised by DETE) or are on the Critical Skills List however do not meet the remuneration, qualifications or 2- year minimum job offer period. An example could be a Medical Doctor who does not get offered a 2-year position as a Medical Doctor instead a 1-year contract, therefore they can only apply for a GWP.

The info on general work permits can be found here from DETE

If however you would like it broken down into plain English easy to understand:

General Work permits going deeper into the information and getting a job offer and work permit

If you want to have the breakdown on what needs doing when your family joins:

Family Reunification Document -  Family members of Irish and Work permit holders, we have gone through this 71 page document page by page with a breakdown and information.

Also, the spouse and children how they apply for this when they arrive, and when they can arrive:

• General Work permits how to get your family processed when they arrive after 12 months

• Spouses and Children of Work permits and their Stamps explained

  We often get asked, if both parents get their own GWP’s can children join?

The answer simply going by the Family Reunification document, is no.

Category B (Eligible to sponsor applications for family reunification after 12 months)

    - Non Critical Skills Employment Permit Holders
    - All Stamp 4 holders not covered by other more favourable arrangements
    - Ministers of Religion (there is a case for putting these in cat A provided they are maintained by the church)

A General work permit holder cannot sponsor anyone until they have been registered as Category B sponsors for 12 months and meet the financial criteria based on the number of children there are, are met.

We have spoken to some Solicitors. Exceptions have occurred via an Irish Solicitor where it has been proven that there are no remaining family members in South Africa who can care for the children, but this requires a Solicitor and proof in abundance that no carer in SA exists or those that are, are incapable of such care. You can contact some of the Irish Solicitor's to process this for you should both parents be in possession of their GWP, they cannot process it before hand on the off-chance you MIGHT both get GWP’s.

We often get asked, can my family come and visit and how often during that 12 months?

We simply cannot give a definitive answer. This is completely in the hands of BMU.

What we do know is that 180 days of holiday in a year will not be allowed as that is residency numbers, it is more likely you will get a 30 day holiday once maybe twice in that year than 2 x 90days

We do know that it is UP TO 90 days, not necessarily the full 90 days you will be approved for. A 90 days visit is fully at the discretion of the BMU Officer and they can give you just 2 weeks if they feel that is sufficient

Boarding by the airline and Entry in to Ireland is based on holidays, on proof of return, this is more extensive paperwork than just a return ticket, make sure you read the articles on Visiting Ireland and proof of work in SA and/or schools for the kids to return to

More on this:

Visiting Ireland - As South African, what documents do I need to enter Ireland on holiday, business trip, conference or job interview?

Letter of Invitation - For family joining you later in Ireland/ Coming on Holiday/ Job Interview
 

Work permit holders and travel to the EU and UK

Once a South African passport holder is in possession of the IRP card, they can apply for visas for the UK (Standard UK visitor visa) or the EU/EEA to the country they want to visit.

Holding an IRP for Ireland does not automatically give rights to travel to the EU/EEA or UK. The IRP is permission live and work in Ireland alone.

If the country is in the Schengen zone that you wish to visit, you apply for a Schengen visa for that country.

If any other country, apply direct for that country.

I'm a South African passport holder, do I need a visa to go to the EU and/or UK? - A question that gets asked regularly on visas to the EU and Uk from Ireland once people are resident in Ireland

SA2Eire are going to go through this process step-by-step with you:

• Types of work permits and articles:

   

  • Work Permit skills lists: Am I eligible and SOC codes

  • Critical skills work permits how they work: The Basics of applying
    

  • Critical skills going deeper into the information and getting a job offer and work permit

  • General Work permits how they work: The Basics of applying (this article)
    

  • General Work permits going deeper into the information and getting a job offer and work permit

  • General Work permits how to get your family processed when they arrive after 12 months

  • Spouses and Children of Work permits and their Stamps explained

Important links:

  #MapMyMove- Our coaching Services - Confused or lost and need some direction, book a session with us to help untangle the confusion and work out your route of immigration

   Register at Garda Immigration - How the GWP holder registers at Garda Immigration when they arrive and Renewals of Residency stamps

   Salary Guides - what to expect as a salary in certain careers and parts of Ireland

   Documents you need for Entry into Ireland

   Family Reunification

  General Work permits how to get your family processed when they arrive after 12 months

   De Facto (unmarried) Partners and proofs required under EU Treaty - for unmarried people who want to do the EU Treaty with their partner

   Admin before the move

   Admin once you're in Ireland