Yes. Irish employers are actively recruiting care workers from overseas in 2026, and demand from private nursing homes and homecare providers is growing, not slowing.
The DETE General Employment Permit quota for care workers is open. The current maximum is 1,495 permits for care workers and home carers, set by SI 213/2026 and running from 13 May 2026. That quota is still active. Private operators across Ireland are using it.
Here is what you need to know as an employer.
CA Recruitment is Filipino-Irish owned and manages the full GEP process for care employers. We handle the Labour Market Needs Test, skills assessment, and DETE submission. Talk to us about your care staffing needs.
Why Private Care Homes Are Driving the Demand
HSE-employed healthcare staff earn materially more than equivalent roles in private care homes. Private operators cannot match public sector pay rates, which means they are competing for the same domestic workforce against an employer that outbids them every time.
The result: private nursing homes and homecare companies have had no relief from domestic supply shortages. Overseas recruitment is not a last resort for these operators in 2026. It is their primary hiring route.
Overseas recruitment is already normalised in Irish healthcare — a large proportion of nurses and midwives in Irish hospitals and care settings were trained abroad. The General Employment Permit care worker quota is the mechanism that makes it possible at care assistant level.
What Roles Qualify
The GEP care worker quota covers:
- Healthcare support worker / care assistant — nursing homes, residential care, disability services
- Home carer / home support worker — homecare providers and home support services
These are the roles DETE classifies under the care worker permit quota. Registered nurses and midwives are not covered here — they apply via the Critical Skills Employment Permit, which has a different process and higher salary threshold.
If you run a nursing home or homecare service and need care assistants and home carers, the GEP care worker quota is the right route.
The Salary Threshold
Care worker and home carer roles qualify at a reduced minimum threshold of €16.12 per hour — €32,691 per year on a 39-hour week, or €33,529.60 on a 40-hour week. This is lower than the standard GEP minimum of €36,605, and was set specifically to reflect care sector wage rates. The qualifying figure must be basic pay: guaranteed premium payments can count towards it, but bonuses, shift allowances, and overtime cannot.
The threshold increased in March 2026 as part of DETE's annual minimum remuneration roadmap, which runs through 2030. The minimum goes up each year. Employers who delay face higher salary commitments in future permit applications — locking in now is cheaper than applying in 2027.
What the Permit Process Involves
The employer — not the worker — initiates and manages the GEP process. Here is what is required:
Labour Market Needs Test
You must advertise the role on DSP Employment Services (Jobs Ireland), EURES, and at least one additional online platform for the required advertising period. This demonstrates that no suitable EEA candidates were available for the role. The test must be completed before a permit application is submitted.
50/50 Workforce Check
At least 50% of your total workforce must be EEA, Swiss or UK citizens at the time of application. If you have already hired multiple overseas workers on permits, check this ratio before you begin. An application submitted when your EEA ratio is below 50% will be refused. See our 50/50 rule guide for the full detail.
GEP Application to DETE
The employer submits the application through the DETE online portal on behalf of the worker. The decision queue moves during the year, so check our employment permit processing times tracker for where it stands before planning a start date. The DETE application fee is €1,000 for a permit of up to 24 months.
Visa and IRP Registration
Filipino nationals require a D employment visa to enter Ireland. Once in Ireland, they register with Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) and receive their Irish Residence Permit (IRP).
Total timeline: From starting the Labour Market Needs Test to a worker arriving on site, allow five to six months. Employers who start the process in May 2026 can have workers on site by autumn. Waiting until July means winter at the earliest.
The 1,495-Permit Quota
The current care worker GEP quota of 1,495 permits is not permanent. DETE quotas close when they are exhausted. The single hospitality manager quota — 292 permits under SI 444/2024 — filled entirely on 28 April 2026. SI 213/2026 replaced it with four narrower pools running from 13 May 2026: hotel and accommodation managers (100), restaurant and catering establishment managers (200), publicans and managers of licensed premises (50), and catering and bar managers (50). Those roles needed a fresh 28-day Labour Market Needs Test first, so the earliest valid application date was 10 June 2026. The dairy farm assistant quota closed in late 2025 before a new allocation was made.
Operators who wait until a quota closes face a full stop on applications until DETE opens a new allocation. There is no guaranteed timeline for reopening. Operators who start the process now are not competing against each other for permits — they are competing against their own delays.
Is This Route Right for Your Business?
The GEP care worker route works for nursing homes and homecare providers that:
- Need care assistants or home carers and cannot fill roles from the domestic labour market
- Can offer a minimum of €16.12 per hour (€32,691 per year on a 39-hour week)
- Have an EEA workforce ratio of at least 50%
- Can plan at least five months ahead of when they need the worker on site
The process is manageable when handled by someone who knows it. The volume of permit applications from care operators across Ireland is proof that it works — it is the same process that every nursing home and homecare company already using overseas staff has been through.
Need care workers for your nursing home or homecare service? We can help.
CA Recruitment is Filipino-Irish owned with a team on the ground in Manila. We manage the full permit process: Labour Market Needs Test, skills assessment, DETE application, and employer compliance documentation.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The DETE General Employment Permit quota for care workers is open in 2026. The current quota is 1,495 permits for care workers and home carers, set by SI 213/2026 and running from 13 May 2026, and private nursing homes and homecare providers across Ireland are actively using it.
Care workers and home carers qualify for a General Employment Permit at a reduced minimum of €16.12 per hour — €32,691 per year on a 39-hour week, or €33,529.60 on a 40-hour week. This is lower than the standard GEP minimum of €36,605 and applies specifically to healthcare assistants and home carers under the GEP care worker quota. The qualifying salary must be basic pay: bonuses, shift allowances, and overtime do not count.
The General Employment Permit care worker quota covers healthcare support workers and care assistants in nursing homes and residential care settings, and home carers and home support workers employed by homecare providers. Registered nurses and midwives are not covered by this quota and apply via the Critical Skills Employment Permit instead.