Legal firm DAC Beachcroft has summarised several labour-market measures that took effect in Q1 2026 and carry direct consequences for corporate immigration programmes. The headline change is a jump in Minimum Salary Thresholds for Employment Permits: General Employment Permits now require €36,605 (up from €34,000) and Critical Skills Permits €40,904 (up from €38,000) for applications lodged on or after 1 March. Renewal applications must meet the new figures unless the original permit was issued before that date. The increases follow the government’s 2025 roadmap aimed at keeping permit salaries aligned with the National Minimum Wage—now €14.15 per hour—and with wage inflation in key sectors such as ICT and life sciences. For multinational employers, the higher thresholds may affect budgeting for intra-company transfers and new hires in regional hubs like Cork or Galway, where salary benchmarks are traditionally lower than Dublin’s.
![Ireland raises employment-permit salary thresholds and confirms remote-work review findings]()
VisaHQ’s Ireland desk can help employers and foreign talent adapt to these new requirements by running real-time eligibility checks, assembling compliant documentation and managing end-to-end filing for General and Critical Skills Employment Permits; visit https://www.visahq.com/ireland/ for details on service tiers and turnaround times.
Separately, the Department of Enterprise has published a statutory review of Ireland’s right-to-request remote work regime. Contrary to concerns raised in the media, 94 % of employee requests were approved fully or partially, and employers reported a “low administrative burden”. Nevertheless, the Workplace Relations Commission will issue stronger guidance templates and run an awareness campaign targeting rural SMEs, where uptake of the legislation has lagged. Taken together, the pay-floor uplift and remote-work clarifications signal a tightening but still competitive talent environment. Mobility managers should check that posted-worker packages meet the new salary rules and that assignment letters explicitly address remote-work eligibility to avoid disputes during permit renewals or Labour Inspectorate audits. With the EU’s Pay Transparency Directive looming and Ireland’s updated Code of Practice on Part-Time Working already in force, experts advise conducting a holistic review of employment-contract wording, especially for hybrid or cross-border roles that straddle multiple jurisdictions.
VisaHQ’s Ireland desk can help employers and foreign talent adapt to these new requirements by running real-time eligibility checks, assembling compliant documentation and managing end-to-end filing for General and Critical Skills Employment Permits; visit https://www.visahq.com/ireland/ for details on service tiers and turnaround times.
Separately, the Department of Enterprise has published a statutory review of Ireland’s right-to-request remote work regime. Contrary to concerns raised in the media, 94 % of employee requests were approved fully or partially, and employers reported a “low administrative burden”. Nevertheless, the Workplace Relations Commission will issue stronger guidance templates and run an awareness campaign targeting rural SMEs, where uptake of the legislation has lagged. Taken together, the pay-floor uplift and remote-work clarifications signal a tightening but still competitive talent environment. Mobility managers should check that posted-worker packages meet the new salary rules and that assignment letters explicitly address remote-work eligibility to avoid disputes during permit renewals or Labour Inspectorate audits. With the EU’s Pay Transparency Directive looming and Ireland’s updated Code of Practice on Part-Time Working already in force, experts advise conducting a holistic review of employment-contract wording, especially for hybrid or cross-border roles that straddle multiple jurisdictions.
