Which jobs can't get a General Employment Permit? The Ineligible List explained

In short: In Ireland, every job can get a General Employment Permit unless it's on the Ineligible List of Occupations. The list covers mostly administrative, retail, hospitality, cleaning, childcare and general labour jobs. Many entries have exceptions: for example experienced chefs, HGV and bus drivers, CNC operatives, meat processor operatives and some care roles can get a permit. The list was last updated in May 2026.

How it works

The Ineligible List is set in law and grouped by occupation code (SOC 2010). If a job is on it, neither a General Employment Permit nor a Critical Skills Employment Permit can be issued for it, unless the job falls within one of the exceptions listed against that entry.

If your job isn’t on the list, it’s eligible, as long as it meets the other rules: usually a salary of at least €36,605, the Labour Market Needs Test, and the 50:50 rule on the employer’s staff.

Jobs that are on the list but can qualify

These exceptions are where most of the questions come from.

Job	When it can qualify
Chefs	Executive, head or sous chefs with at least 5 years’ experience, or chefs de partie and commis chefs with at least 2 years’ experience, working anywhere except a fast-food outlet
HGV drivers	With a category CE or C1E licence, or a recognised overseas equivalent
Bus and coach drivers	With a category D, DE, D1 or D1E licence, or a recognised overseas equivalent
CNC operatives	Computer Numerical Control operatives in any process or machine operative role
Meat processor operatives	Yes (minimum salary €32,691)
Seafood operatives and fish filleters	Yes, within a quota
Dairy and pig farm assistants; pig managers	Yes
Horticulture workers	Yes (minimum salary €32,691)
Forestry	Speciality forestry harvesting technicians
Sea fishers	In the Irish fishing fleet
Construction trades	Steel fixers, plastic lining technicians, fencing operators and erectors, curtain wallers, concrete pump operators, construction safety officers
Electrical	Lineworkers working for ESB Networks; armature rewinders
Care and disability services	Senior care workers, care managers, family support workers, project officers and play therapists in disability services; support workers
Health	Paramedics, genetic counsellors, orthoptists, chiropractors (members of the Chiropractic Association of Ireland)
Language roles	Call centre, customer service, credit control and accounts payable roles for speakers of a non-EEA official language (not English), where the employer is supported by an enterprise development agency; tourist guides with a non-EEA language; legal associate roles with a non-EEA language and market knowledge
Other	Safety managers, work riders (horse racing), saw doctors, industrial machine knitters, mobility and assistance-dog instructors, career guidance teachers in secondary schools

Some exceptions, such as fish filleters and seafood operatives, come with a quota: a set number of permits, after which no more are issued. Quotas also apply to some roles that aren’t on the list at all, such as care workers and mechanics. We check the current position for you.

The main jobs on the list

Unless one of the exceptions above applies, these occupations can’t get a General Employment Permit:

• Office and administration: administrative and clerical roles, receptionists, secretaries and personal assistants, office managers and supervisors, book-keepers and payroll clerks, bank clerks, HR administrators, sales administrators
• Sales and customer service: sales and retail assistants, cashiers, telephone salespeople, sales supervisors, call centre staff, customer service managers, estate agents
• Hospitality and food: cooks, kitchen and catering assistants, waiters, bar staff, bakers and flour confectioners, travel agents
• Personal services: hairdressers, barbers, beauticians, fitness instructors, housekeepers, caretakers
• Childcare and education support: nursery nurses and assistants, childminders, teaching and educational support assistants
• Cleaning, security and storage: cleaners, window cleaners, refuse workers, security guards, warehouse and storage workers, shelf fillers, couriers and postal workers
• Drivers and transport: van drivers, taxi drivers and chauffeurs, forklift drivers, driving instructors, train drivers
• Labouring and operatives: general construction labourers, road and rail construction operatives, packers, assemblers, sewing machinists, routine inspectors
• Trades: gardeners and landscapers, farmers and farm workers (outside the exceptions), florists, printing trades, weavers, boat builders, TV and audio engineers
• Other: police, prison and fire officers, probation officers, counsellors, youth and community workers, housing officers, complementary therapists, veterinary nurses, dental nurses, undertakers
• Any work in a private home, such as domestic staff

This is our grouped summary. The exact wording, and every code, is on the Department’s list.

Two permits that ignore the list

• Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit. Family members of certain permit holders, such as Critical Skills holders, can take almost any job, including ones on the Ineligible List, except work in a private home (some carer roles aside).
• Reactivation Employment Permit. For people who lost their permission to work through no fault of their own. It also allows jobs on the list, with the same exceptions.

What changed in May 2026

The list was updated in May 2026. Some jobs were taken off it completely, including pharmaceutical technicians and dental technicians, so they can now get a General Employment Permit. New exceptions were added for:

• sea fishers in the Irish fishing fleet and speciality forestry harvesting technicians
• ESB Networks lineworkers
• steel fixers, plastic lining technicians, fencing operators and erectors, and curtain wallers
• fish filleters and seafood operatives, both within quotas
• industrial machine knitters
• concrete pump operators

If your job is on the list

1. Check the exceptions above. Experience, a licence or the type of employer can make the difference.
2. Check how the job is described. The Department looks at the actual duties. A role called “office manager” that is really a specialist finance or compliance job may fall under a different, eligible code. That only works if it’s true, and a clear job description helps.
3. Look at other routes. Spouses and partners of Critical Skills holders, people with Stamp 4, and some graduates on Stamp 1G may not need a permit at all.

Common questions

What’s the “general work permit list”? People often mean this list. Ireland doesn’t publish a list of jobs that can get a General Employment Permit, because every job qualifies unless it’s on the Ineligible List.

Can I get a Critical Skills permit instead? Not for a job on the Ineligible List. The exceptions apply in the same way.

Can chefs get a work permit in Ireland? Yes, if they have the experience above and don’t work in a fast-food outlet. The usual salary and labour market rules apply.

How long does it take? On 23 October 2026 the Department was working on new General Employment Permit applications received on 20 September 2026. Add 28 days of job advertising for the Labour Market Needs Test. See the current processing dates.

Not sure where your job stands?

Send us the job title, the duties and the salary. We’ll tell you whether it’s eligible, whether an exception applies, and which route fits best. It’s free: get a free assessment.