Independent tracker IrelandStatus, which scrapes the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) dashboards, confirmed at 06:00 UTC today that General Employment Permit (new) applications lodged after 15 May 2026 are still waiting to be assigned to a case officer. Critical Skills permits are marginally quicker—DETE is currently working on files received 11 June—but renewal categories remain stuck on March receipt dates. While the underlying DETE data were last formally updated on 25 June, today’s automated check is the first to show *no improvement* week-on-week, ending the gradual gains recorded since April.
Amid these delays, specialised facilitators such as VisaHQ can shoulder much of the administrative burden. The firm’s Ireland desk pre-screens documents, tracks DETE queue movements in real time and can pivot applicants to alternate visa categories where feasible, helping HR teams keep onboarding timelines on track.
For employers, the stagnation means lead times of nine to ten weeks for standard permits and up to three months for reviews or appeals, which are only at December 2025 files. Immigration advisers report that the bottleneck is spilling over into local Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) offices, where Stamp 1 G appointment slots (for recent graduates) have been booked out until mid-August. Companies hiring July start-dates are therefore resorting to Stamp 0 visitor permissions combined with remote work until the employment permit and IRP card arrive—a workaround that carries tax-residency risks after 90 days. DETE is expected to publish its quarterly performance report later this week. Sources indicate the department has secured Treasury approval for 25 extra processing staff, but onboarding will not begin until September. In the meantime, mobility managers should build at least a three-month buffer into Irish start-date planning and consider intra-company transfer routes where salary thresholds are easier to meet. All eyes are also on the new online permit portal slated for beta launch in October during Ireland’s EU presidency; DETE claims it will shave two weeks off decision times by eliminating manual document verification.
Amid these delays, specialised facilitators such as VisaHQ can shoulder much of the administrative burden. The firm’s Ireland desk pre-screens documents, tracks DETE queue movements in real time and can pivot applicants to alternate visa categories where feasible, helping HR teams keep onboarding timelines on track.
For employers, the stagnation means lead times of nine to ten weeks for standard permits and up to three months for reviews or appeals, which are only at December 2025 files. Immigration advisers report that the bottleneck is spilling over into local Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) offices, where Stamp 1 G appointment slots (for recent graduates) have been booked out until mid-August. Companies hiring July start-dates are therefore resorting to Stamp 0 visitor permissions combined with remote work until the employment permit and IRP card arrive—a workaround that carries tax-residency risks after 90 days. DETE is expected to publish its quarterly performance report later this week. Sources indicate the department has secured Treasury approval for 25 extra processing staff, but onboarding will not begin until September. In the meantime, mobility managers should build at least a three-month buffer into Irish start-date planning and consider intra-company transfer routes where salary thresholds are easier to meet. All eyes are also on the new online permit portal slated for beta launch in October during Ireland’s EU presidency; DETE claims it will shave two weeks off decision times by eliminating manual document verification.
