Talent-analytics firm Samatalent corroborated DETE’s figures in its 21 October bulletin, noting that new General Employment Permit (GEP) files dated 17 September are now being examined—down from a seven-week wait earlier this month. The firm’s heat-map of DETE data also shows Critical Skills (CSEP) files averaging just one week and ICT renewals still languishing at 12 weeks. Samatalent attributes the improvement to DETE’s decision to redeploy eight case officers from suspended Labour-Market Needs-Test quotas to the GEP queue, as well as weekend overtime sanctioned under a July collective agreement. The analytics platform tracks timestamp data scraped hourly from DETE’s public pages and compares it with historical averages. For employers, the shorter GEP timeline is significant because many middle-skill occupations—from hospitality managers to dairy-farm assistants—are ineligible for the fast-track CSEP route. Faster GEP processing therefore widens access to regional talent pools outside Dublin where staffing shortages are acute. Mobility teams should still monitor renewal queues: Samatalent warns that CSEP renewals received on 21 July are only now being opened, meaning some Stamp 1 holders may need bridging permissions. HR should advise affected employees to file renewal packages at least 16 weeks before expiry and to carry printed copies of DETE’s online status page when travelling. Samatalent’s next update is due on 28 October and will confirm whether the downward trend continues or merely reflects a seasonal lull in filings after the summer visa rush.
Source: Samatalent
