Regulations have been signed to give effect to the Employment Permits Act 2024, which is intended to consolidate and modernise employment permits law and bring benefits for employers and permit holders alike.

Enterprise, trade and employment minister Peter Burke said: “This new law represents the biggest reform of employment permits legislation in over a decade and will result in many positive changes to Ireland’s economic migration policy.

“The improvements in the new Act will allow for a more modern, flexible employment permits system as well as ensuring employee rights are maintained. It will greatly benefit employers and permit holders alike.”

Emer Higgins, minister of state for business, employment and retail, said: “Ireland is in a strong place economically. Our economy is experiencing growth and very low levels of unemployment.

“To build on that and ensure continued competitiveness and prosperousness, we need to attract more international talent.

“This new law, along with recent measures like the granting of work rights to the eligible spouses and partners of certain employment permit holders and the roll out of a single permission to both work and live in Ireland, will massively help to achieve this goal.”

She also noted that the law will “greatly enhance Ireland’s employment permits system with the ability of migrant workers to transfer a permit between employers after a certain amount of time and the introduction of a seasonal employment permit later this year”.

“These new measures will continue to make Ireland the destination of choice for skilled workers,” she said.