Labour-Market Access Unit introduces temporary grace period for international-protection workers

Ireland’s Labour Market Access (LMA) Unit has quietly updated its guidance to employers, creating an exceptional measure that will run from 18 August to 27 November 2026. During this window, companies may continue to employ international-protection applicants whose LMA permits have expired, provided the worker can show proof that they have applied to renew both their permit and the new digital International Protection Applicant (IPA) certificate. The change reflects operational delays after the Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) replaced physical Temporary Residence Cards with PDF-based IPA certificates earlier this year. High demand has lengthened renewal processing to six weeks or more, leaving many applicants at risk of falling out of status and employers exposed to compliance penalties. Under the temporary policy, an affected employee enjoys a four-week statutory grace period plus an additional accommodation whereby the employer may accept the ISD email-acknowledgement of the renewal application as evidence of permission to work. Employers must include this evidence in their mandatory LMA5 employer-return form. Legal advisers say the concession provides breathing space for sectors such as hospitality and agri-food that rely on protection applicants for seasonal peaks. However, they caution that once the 27 November cut-off passes, normal rules will resume and anyone without an approved permit must cease working immediately. Companies should update right-to-work checklists, brief line managers on acceptable documents and diarise follow-up dates to obtain the renewed permits once issued. Failure to do so could attract fines under the Employment Permits Acts.