From 1 March 2026—and first felt in payroll cycles the week ending 7 March—minimum-annual-remuneration (MAR) thresholds for Irish Employment Permits have risen across the board under the Government’s roadmap to 2030. General Employment Permit salaries jump from €34,000 to €36,605, while Critical Skills Employment Permits now require €40,904 for degree roles and €68,911 for non-degree categories.
![New Salary Thresholds for Irish Employment Permits Now Live, Forcing Budget Recalculation]()
For employers and foreign nationals trying to navigate these new figures, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Through its dedicated Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/), the platform offers up-to-date salary thresholds, step-by-step Employment Permit checklists, and an automated form-filling service that helps minimise errors and delays with DETE.
Lower sector-specific bands in agri-food and healthcare increase to €32,691. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) says the uplift aligns permit salaries with CSO average-earnings data (4.9 per cent indexation) and is the first of several staged hikes designed to protect labour standards and reduce wage undercutting. Employers must reference the new figures in all applications lodged on or after 1 March; submissions quoting outdated amounts are being returned as invalid. Global mobility teams are scrambling to recalibrate assignment budgets. A mid-sized US tech firm with 40 inbound assignees calculates an additional €144,000 in annual salary costs, exclusive of knock-on pension and bonus liabilities. Recruiters note that the uplift may improve Ireland’s attractiveness for high-skill migrants but risks pricing out SMEs that rely on General Employment Permits. The roadmap phases out reduced thresholds entirely by 2030 and pushes sponsors to demonstrate genuine skills shortages before recruiting outside the EEA. DETE will review the indexation formula annually; stakeholders expect the next adjustment on 1 March 2027. Companies should also update posted-worker notifications and review equity-based reward triggers linked to base pay.
For employers and foreign nationals trying to navigate these new figures, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Through its dedicated Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/), the platform offers up-to-date salary thresholds, step-by-step Employment Permit checklists, and an automated form-filling service that helps minimise errors and delays with DETE.
Lower sector-specific bands in agri-food and healthcare increase to €32,691. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) says the uplift aligns permit salaries with CSO average-earnings data (4.9 per cent indexation) and is the first of several staged hikes designed to protect labour standards and reduce wage undercutting. Employers must reference the new figures in all applications lodged on or after 1 March; submissions quoting outdated amounts are being returned as invalid. Global mobility teams are scrambling to recalibrate assignment budgets. A mid-sized US tech firm with 40 inbound assignees calculates an additional €144,000 in annual salary costs, exclusive of knock-on pension and bonus liabilities. Recruiters note that the uplift may improve Ireland’s attractiveness for high-skill migrants but risks pricing out SMEs that rely on General Employment Permits. The roadmap phases out reduced thresholds entirely by 2030 and pushes sponsors to demonstrate genuine skills shortages before recruiting outside the EEA. DETE will review the indexation formula annually; stakeholders expect the next adjustment on 1 March 2027. Companies should also update posted-worker notifications and review equity-based reward triggers linked to base pay.
