The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) quietly refreshed its live dashboard of employment-permit processing dates early on 29 July, giving international employers and relocation planners the first official insight into queue times since mid-July. The new figures show modest progress for Critical Skills Employment Permits—applications dated 15 July are now being reviewed—while General Employment Permits remain stalled at 24 June. Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) permits submitted after 2 July have yet to be opened. Although the update may seem bureaucratic, it has immediate implications for start dates, payroll planning and right-to-work compliance. Companies banking on an August arrival for non-EEA hires now know that only applications submitted before mid-July stand a realistic chance of approval this summer. Immigration advisers recommend that HR teams issue conditional offer letters that explicitly reference potential permit delays and build remote-onboarding options into employment contracts. DETE officials point out that peak holiday demand collides with Ireland’s EU Council Presidency, diverting administrative resources. However, they insist that a recruitment campaign for additional case officers and continued digitisation of the Trusted Partner portal should shave “at least two weeks” off current timelines by September. For mobility managers, the headline is risk management: renewal queues for all permit types are stuck at 17 April, meaning assignees whose permits expire before November should submit extensions immediately and request temporary Stamp 1 permission if necessary. The review/appeal queue remains at December 2025, so dispute resolution pathways are effectively frozen for another quarter. DETE will next update the dashboard on 5 August; global mobility teams should diarise the date and adjust relocation schedules accordingly, especially for roles linked to product launches or seasonal demand.
