Who this is for
An agent is offering a nurse, chef, meat-plant or "critical skills" job in Ireland and showing you an employment permit, or a promise of one, before you have spoken to the employer. The fee is large. You are in India. This page is the official Irish split between the permit and the visa, and the salary floors published for 2026, so a fantasy number is easier to spot.
How Ireland hiring works
Ireland's employment permits are issued by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. The two categories agents mention most are the Critical Skills Employment Permit and the General Employment Permit (DETE).
Critical Skills is for eligible occupations and a real job offer of at least two years. From 1 March 2026 the minimum annual pay for occupations on the Critical Skills list, where a relevant degree is required, is €40,904. A recent graduate can be at €36,848 in the cases the department lists. Occupations eligible because of pay, without that degree, sit at €68,911 (Critical Skills page; salary roadmap, December 2025). The statutory instrument that commenced the March 2026 figures is S.I. No. 643 of 2025 (Irish Statute Book). Public-sector roles covered by a pay agreement follow that agreement instead. If an agent quotes a "critical skills" salary far below these floors, the label is wrong.
The General Employment Permit is the broader route. From 1 March 2026 the usual minimum is €36,605 a year. Some healthcare, meat and horticulture roles are at €32,691, and a recent Irish graduate can be at €34,009, on the department's own page (General Employment Permit). A labour-market needs test applies to many general permits: the employer has to show the job was advertised. An agent who says advertising is unnecessary for every general permit is overselling.
The permit is not the visa. India is a visa-required country for Ireland. After a permit exists, you apply for a long-stay D visa. The visa decision is a separate step, taken by Irish immigration, not by the agent and not by the employer (Irish Immigration Service). You do not travel on the permit alone.
Either the employer or you may be the applicant for some permit types, within the rules of that type. What does not change is that the job, the employer and the salary have to be real and have to meet the threshold. A company in Ireland can be checked on the Companies Registration Office search (cro.ie). Use a contact you found yourself and ask the employer whether they made the offer and whether a permit application exists.
| Permit | Minimum pay from 1 March 2026 | Then what |
|---|---|---|
| Critical Skills with relevant degree | €40,904 (€36,848 for a listed recent graduate) | Long-stay visa if you are in India |
| Critical Skills without that degree | €68,911 | Same visa step |
| General Employment Permit | €36,605 in the usual case | Labour-market test often applies |
| Healthcare, meat, horticulture on the general route | €32,691 | Still a real employer and a visa afterwards |
Figures change. If you are reading this after another budget, use the DETE page rather than this paragraph. The point for a family tonight is that a "critical skills chef" at a salary under the floor is not the category the agent named.
Red flags people already report
- A permit image before any employer will confirm the offer.
- "Critical skills" pay below the published floor.
- A general permit with no mention of advertising, sold as guaranteed.
- The visa described as automatic once you pay the agent.
- WhatsApp only, Gmail sender, no interview.
- Visit visa now, permit later.
- A permit that supposedly covers the UK as well. It does not.
- Pay today.
- The agent's verification website.
- No eMigrate registration where the Emigration Act applies.
- A request to pay the Irish employer.
- Your passport collected before you have lodged anything yourself.
Why a photo or a software scan is not enough
Salary thresholds and sponsor reality are checked with the employer and against the department's rules. A program that reads a letter cannot know whether DETE issued a permit, and it cannot know whether the hospital in Cork offered you the job. Ireland's own sites are public. The employer's confirmation is still required.
What Testiy does
You send the documents. A human expert confirms the case with the employer. You receive a certified report and a public verify link. Testiy does not apply for employment permits or Irish visas. Packs start at ₹1,600 including GST. See pricing. The desk is open 10:00–22:00 IST.
Sample report is the written outcome and a public link.
Cases people report
The pattern is a healthcare or food-plant offer, a salary that sounds life-changing, and a permit image that arrives before any email from the employer. When the family writes to the hospital on an address they found themselves, there is often no record of the hire. That silence is the answer a scanner will not give you.
If you already paid
Keep every screenshot and receipt. Report it at cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930. Tell the Protector of Emigrants and the police.
FAQ
Is my Ireland work permit real or fake?
Compare the job and the salary with the DETE category the agent named, then ask the employer to confirm the offer. A photo is not a department decision.
Can I check an Ireland employment permit online myself?
Read the DETE permit pages and the salary table, and search the company on the CRO. Do not rely on a lookup the agent hosts.
My agent says the embassy verified it. Is that enough?
The employment permit and the visa are two decisions. Neither one is a PDF the agent verified. You apply for the visa after a permit exists, through the official channel.
Is it normal to pay the agent before getting the permit?
A large advance before the employer confirms the job is a reason to stop. The MEA ceiling for registered recruiting agents is on mea.gov.in/ras.
How long does a Testiy verification take?
See pricing. Many cases are decided the same day while the desk is open, 10:00–22:00 IST.
What do I get from Testiy?
A certified report and a public verify link.
Can I speak with Testiy in Malayalam or Hindi?
Yes. Our experts can speak with you in Malayalam, Hindi and English.
What if the offer turns out to be fake?
Stop paying. Report it on 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in.
Keep reading
Talk to an expert before you pay
Human expert · confirmed with the employer · certified report with public verify link