Working in Ireland After Graduation: Stamp 1G and Employment Permits

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Non-EU students do not lose their right to stay the day the course ends. Ireland runs the Third Level Graduate Programme, which gives eligible graduates time to look for a job and then move to an employment permit. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, and UK citizens under the Common Travel Area, need none of this. This guide is for the rest. It follows the programme notice published by Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) and the employment permit pages of the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, as read in October 2026.

Who qualifies

The programme notice sets out the conditions. You must:

have studied in Ireland on a course on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP);
hold an award at level 8 or above on the National Framework of Qualifications, from a recognised Irish awarding body;
hold a current Stamp 2 permission and an up-to-date registration card;
apply within six months of being told in writing that you passed;
not have used up the seven-year limit on student permission.

ISD advises applying early enough to have the new permission arranged before the old one expires. It does not accept applications from people whose permission has already lapsed.

How long you get

Level 8 (honours bachelor's degree): the lesser of 12 months or the time that brings your total stay, student years plus graduate months, to seven years.
Level 9 or above (master's, doctorate): up to 24 months, granted as 12 months first. The second 12 months are added if you show that you have taken real steps to find graduate-level work, such as attending interviews or signing up with graduate recruitment agencies. The overall limit is eight years.
A graduate cannot use the programme more than twice. Someone who used it at level 8 may return after gaining a higher award, within the eight-year limit.

Your bachelor's degree therefore gives you at most one year, while a master's can add a second. Plan the sequence if you intend to study further in Ireland.

What the permission lets you do

Permission under the programme is recorded as Stamp 1G. You register it with ISD, and you will need proof of your award, such as a letter from the awarding body or the degree scroll, plus your passport and current residence card. For renewals ISD says that private medical insurance must be in place and that travel insurance is not sufficient. See health insurance for students in Ireland.

Under the programme notice, graduates may work full time and do not need an employment permit during this period. They may not run a business or be self-employed. The notice also says the Department of Enterprise could change that exemption, so confirm it before you plan around it.

From Stamp 1G to a work permit

The graduate permission is a bridge. Before it ends you need a job that qualifies for an employment permit. Two types matter most for new graduates. The thresholds below apply from 1 March 2026 and are due to rise in phases until 2030.

General Employment Permit

Minimum annual pay is generally €36,605, or €34,009 if you hold a relevant degree from an Irish third-level college awarded in the previous 12 months.
Almost any job is eligible unless it is on the Ineligible List of Occupations.
Most applications need a Labour Market Needs Test, where the employer advertises the post first.
The processing fee is €1,000 for a permit of 6 to 24 months.

Critical Skills Employment Permit

The job must be on the Critical Skills Occupations List and pay at least €40,904 with a relevant degree, or €36,848 if you qualified in the previous 12 months.
The job offer must run for at least two years. The fee is €1,000, of which 90 percent is refunded if the application fails.
Holders can later apply directly for a Stamp 4 residence permission, and the department states that after 60 months they may apply for long-term residence.

Raise the permit early with any employer you talk to, because the job must meet the pay threshold before an application can succeed.

A practical timeline

Final year: build a list of employers that hire from outside the EU and ask your careers service which of them sponsor permits.
When results are confirmed, note the date of the written notice. The six-month clock starts there.
Book your Stamp 1G registration well before your student permission ends.
Search with the permit thresholds in mind, and keep records of interviews in case you need the second year.
Once you hold an offer, ask the employer to start the permit application before Stamp 1G expires.

Where to look next

Official sources

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.