If you've come across the Atypical Working Scheme while researching how to bring a non-EEA worker into Ireland, the first thing to know is what it is not. It is not an employment permit, it is not run by the same department, and for most employers it is not the route they actually need.
It does, however, fill a real gap — the short-term, specialised situations the permit system was never designed for. This guide explains what the Atypical Working Scheme covers, who qualifies, what it costs, how long it takes, and the one question that decides whether it's your route or a distraction.
The short answer
The Atypical Working Scheme (AWS) is an immigration scheme that lets a non-EEA national do certain short-term or specialised work in Ireland — usually for a maximum of 90 days — without a standard employment permit. It is administered by Immigration Service Delivery (ISD), part of the Department of Justice.
That last point is the one employers get wrong most often. Employment permits are issued by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE). The Atypical Working Scheme is a completely separate process, run by a different department, for a different kind of work. If you apply through the wrong system, you don't get bumped to the right one — your application is simply refused, and the fee is gone.
The scheme exists for work that "falls between the cracks": work that is too short, too specialised, or too unusual to fit the permit system, but still needs the State's permission. Think a locum doctor covering a hospital rota, a nurse coming in to sit a registration exam, or a student doing a required internship that's part of a course abroad.
AWS vs an employment permit
Almost every employer question about the Atypical Working Scheme is really a question about which of two systems applies. Here's the clean way to tell them apart.
- The Atypical Working Scheme is for short-term work — generally under 90 days — that is specialised, intermittent, or course-related. Run by ISD (Department of Justice). No Labour Market Needs Test. One flat fee. Fast by immigration standards.
- An employment permit (General or Critical Skills) is for ongoing, full-time roles you can't fill from the Irish and EEA labour market. Run by DETE. Often requires a Labour Market Needs Test, and the full journey from advert to the worker arriving takes around six months.
So the deciding question is simple: is this a genuine short-term, specialised need, or are you filling a vacancy? If you're hiring someone to do a permanent job — milk cows, care for residents, run a kitchen section, work a building site — that's a vacancy, and a vacancy needs a permit. The AWS is not a shortcut around the permit process, and it cannot be used to staff an ongoing role.
Who actually qualifies
The Atypical Working Scheme is deliberately narrow. ISD lists the categories of work it covers, and if your situation isn't on the list, the answer is no. The main eligible categories are:
- Non-EEA nationals on short-term contracts of up to 90 days — the classic example being a locum doctor covering a hospital or practice for a defined period.
- Nurses and midwives coming to Ireland to complete the registration process with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) on the basis of an overseas qualification — for example, to sit an assessment or complete an adaptation period.
- Crew members of certain fishing fleet vessels, under the specific arrangements that apply to non-EEA crew in the Irish fishing industry.
- Paid or funded short-term employees and interns who are studying on an approved third-level course outside Ireland, where the Irish placement or internship is a required part of that course.
- Specialist or skilled work of a genuinely short duration that the permit system isn't designed for — typically a defined piece of contract work delivered to an Irish enterprise.
A few of these categories can run beyond 90 days. A doctor providing locum services in the hospital sector, a nurse seeking NMBI registration, and a paid internship that is required for graduation can each be approved for a longer period. Everything else is capped at 90 days.
Duration, fee and timeline
Three numbers matter to an employer planning around the scheme.
Duration: 90 days. Permission is granted for a maximum of 90 days. Usefully, those 90 days don't have to be consecutive — they can support intermittent travel in and out of Ireland across a six-month window. That suits roles where someone comes in for a fortnight, leaves, and returns later in the same project.
Fee: €250. The application fee is €250 and it is non-refundable. You pay even if the application is ultimately refused, so it pays to confirm eligibility before you apply rather than after. Payment is made by credit card online when the application is submitted.
Timeline: at least 20 working days. ISD advises allowing a minimum of 20 working days for processing. That's roughly a calendar month once weekends are counted, and it can run longer in busy periods. Critically, the worker must remain outside Ireland and must not travel until the Letter of Approval has issued. Booking flights before approval is a common and expensive mistake.
How to apply
Applications are made online through the Immigration Online Portal. Posted or emailed forms are no longer accepted, and the old Electronic Funds Transfer payment method has been replaced by online card payment.
The headline rules an employer needs to plan around are straightforward:
- The application is made from outside Ireland — the worker cannot already be in the State on another basis and switch into the scheme on arrival.
- The worker must not travel to Ireland until the AWS Letter of Approval has been granted.
- Depending on nationality, the worker may also need an entry visa to land in Ireland. The AWS approval and the visa are two separate things; for visa-required nationals, both have to be in place before travel.
- You'll need to evidence the nature and duration of the work and that it fits one of the eligible categories. A clear contract or letter setting out the role, the dates, and why it's short-term work does most of the heavy lifting.
Because the fee is non-refundable and the categories are narrow, the single most valuable thing you can do is confirm — before applying — that the role genuinely belongs in the scheme rather than the permit system.
When AWS is the wrong route
For the employers we work with most — farms, nursing homes, home-care providers, restaurants, hotels, building contractors and manufacturers — the Atypical Working Scheme is usually the wrong tool. These businesses are filling vacancies: ongoing, full-time roles they can't source locally. That's exactly what an employment permit is for, and exactly what the AWS is not.
Trying to run a permanent role on a string of 90-day permissions isn't a clever workaround — it isn't permitted, and it leaves both employer and worker exposed. If you have a long-term hire, the correct and legal route is a General Employment Permit (or, for some healthcare and high-skill roles, a Critical Skills Employment Permit). Worth checking first, too: whether the role is even eligible at all, since some occupations sit on the ineligible list regardless of which route you choose.
This is the heart of what CA Recruitment does. We place Filipino workers with Irish employers in ongoing roles and manage the full DETE employment permit process from advert to arrival — the paperwork you'd otherwise be navigating alone. The Atypical Working Scheme is a genuine option for a narrow set of short-term, specialised needs; for the hiring most Irish employers actually ask us about, the employment permit is the route, and it's the one we handle end to end.
Not sure which side of the line your role sits on? That's a two-minute conversation, and it's free. Message Monette on WhatsApp with what you're trying to fill and we'll tell you straight whether you need the Atypical Working Scheme or an employment permit — before you spend €250 on the wrong one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Atypical Working Scheme in Ireland?
The Atypical Working Scheme (AWS) is an immigration scheme run by Immigration Service Delivery (ISD), part of the Department of Justice. It lets a non-EEA national do certain short-term or specialised work in Ireland — usually for up to 90 days — that does not qualify for, or does not need, a standard employment permit. It is not a permit and it is not run by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. It covers narrow situations like locum doctors, nurses registering with the NMBI, fishing-fleet crew and course-related internships.
How long can someone work in Ireland on the Atypical Working Scheme?
Permission is granted for a maximum of 90 days. Those 90 days can be used for intermittent travel in and out of Ireland across a six-month period, rather than only as one continuous block. A small number of categories — a doctor providing locum services in the hospital sector, a nurse seeking NMBI registration on the basis of an overseas qualification, and certain paid internships that are a required part of an overseas course — can be approved for longer than 90 days. For everyone else, 90 days is the ceiling.
How much does the Atypical Working Scheme cost and how long does it take?
The application fee is €250 and it is non-refundable, even if the application is refused. You should allow at least 20 working days for processing. The application is made online through the Immigration Online Portal and the fee is paid by credit card at the time of application. Build that 20-working-day window into your start date, because the worker must not travel to Ireland until the Letter of Approval has issued.
Do I need an employment permit or the Atypical Working Scheme?
If the role is short-term — genuinely under 90 days — and falls into one of the eligible AWS categories, the Atypical Working Scheme is the route. If the role is ongoing, full-time or a permanent vacancy you can't fill locally, you need an employment permit instead. Most Irish employers hiring overseas staff for farms, care homes, kitchens, construction or manufacturing need a General Employment Permit or Critical Skills Employment Permit, not AWS. Using AWS to staff a long-term role is not permitted.
Can I use the Atypical Working Scheme to hire Filipino workers for my farm or care home?
No, not for ongoing roles. The Atypical Working Scheme is for short-term, specialised or course-related work only. A dairy farm, nursing home, restaurant or building contractor filling a long-term vacancy needs a General Employment Permit, which CA Recruitment manages end to end. If you genuinely have a sub-90-day specialist need that fits an AWS category, we can point you to the right ISD process — but for the hiring most employers ask us about, the employment permit is the correct and legal route.