When a candidate is weighing up a move to Ireland, one question shapes the decision more than almost anything else: can my family come too?
As an employer, you are not responsible for running the family reunification process. But if you understand how it works — and can give a candidate a clear answer — it becomes a genuine recruitment asset. The rules differ significantly depending on the permit type, so it is worth knowing the difference before the conversation comes up.
Why family reunification is a recruitment lever
Workers making international moves take on real personal risk: leaving behind support networks, familiar healthcare systems, and in many cases, leaving family behind. A worker who knows their family can follow — and knows when — is far more likely to commit to a role and stay long-term.
Irish immigration policy recognises this. It gives Critical Skills Employment Permit holders the right to bring family immediately, and General Employment Permit holders that right after 12 months. Neither route is automatic or instant (there is a visa application process with its own timeline), but both are real pathways.
When you are speaking to a candidate, being able to explain this clearly — and accurately — matters. Vague reassurances are not useful. Knowing the rules is.
CSEP holders: immediate family reunification
If you are hiring on a Critical Skills Employment Permit, your worker's spouse or civil partner, de facto partner, and dependent minor children can apply to join them in Ireland from day one. There is no minimum period of residence in Ireland before the application can be submitted.
Under the Non-EEA Family Reunification Policy (updated June 2026), CSEP holders are classified as Category B sponsors. Category B means immediate eligibility for nuclear family reunification — no waiting period.
This is a meaningful distinction. It makes the CSEP route more attractive for candidates who have a partner or children, and it is worth flagging in your offer conversations.
The application itself still takes time — see the visa process section below — but the eligibility begins on day one of employment.
GEP holders: after 12 months
If you are hiring on a General Employment Permit, the rules are different. Your worker must have been legally working in Ireland for at least 12 months before their spouse, civil partner, de facto partner or minor children can submit a join-family visa application.
GEP holders are Category C sponsors. The waiting period is not counted from permit approval — it is from the date your worker actually starts working lawfully in Ireland.
This means the realistic timeline, once the 12-month mark is reached, is:
- 12 months working in Ireland becomes eligible to apply
- Family member submits the join-family visa application
- Processing takes up to 12 months from receipt of a complete application
So in practice, a GEP worker hired today might not have family in Ireland until year three or beyond, depending on when the application goes in and how long processing takes. That is not a reason to avoid hiring on a GEP — it is simply the accurate picture to give a candidate so they can plan properly.
Who counts as a dependant?
For both CSEP and GEP holders, the family members who can be sponsored for immediate reunification (or after 12 months for GEP) are:
- Spouse
- Civil partner
- De facto partner (long-term partner, not married or in a civil partnership)
- Dependent minor children (under 18, unmarried)
For other family members — a dependent parent, an adult child with a serious medical condition — different rules apply and higher financial thresholds are required. These are edge cases, but they exist. The policy document sets out the detail.
Extended family (siblings, grandparents, cousins) are generally not eligible under the standard family reunification routes.
Financial thresholds your worker must meet
Your worker, as the sponsor, must meet minimum income requirements before family members can join them. The rules differ by permit type.
CSEP holders (Category B): No specific income threshold is imposed at the point of application for a spouse/partner/children. The permit status itself is taken as evidence of adequate income potential. This simplifies the process considerably.
GEP holders (Category C): Must have earned a gross income of more than €30,000 in the year prior to applying for family reunification. For sponsoring minor children, the bar rises with the number of children — for one child, the indicative gross salary required is around €50,200; for two children, around €60,200. These figures are set by Immigration Service Delivery and reviewed periodically.
In both cases, only the sponsor's income is counted — you cannot combine it with a partner's income to reach the threshold.
How the join-family visa works
The family member applies for a long-stay (join family) visa through AVATS, the Irish online visa system. Applications are submitted overseas before travel.
Key practical points:
Fees: €60 for a single-entry visa, €100 for multi-entry. Some nationalities are fee-exempt — check the ISD fees page for the current list.
Processing time: Applications are processed in date order. Immigration Service Delivery publishes a processing time of up to 12 months from receipt of a complete application. This is not a commitment, but it is the current benchmark.
Documents required: The exact documentation depends on the relationship and the sponsor category. In general, applications need proof of the relationship (marriage certificate, birth certificates), proof of the sponsor's status in Ireland (permit, IRP card), financial evidence, and for Category C (GEP) sponsors, evidence of suitable accommodation.
Non-visa-required nationals: Some nationalities do not need a visa to travel to Ireland. They do not need to apply for a long-stay visa in advance, but they must inform the immigration officer at the port of entry that they are entering for family reunification purposes, and their passport must be stamped accordingly.
Your worker should not buy travel tickets for family members until a visa decision has been made.
What can family members do once they arrive?
What a family member can do in Ireland depends on the immigration permission granted to them when they register.
A spouse or partner joining a CSEP holder is typically granted Stamp 1G, which permits employment in Ireland without requiring a separate work permit. Self-employment is not permitted on Stamp 1G.
A spouse or partner joining a GEP holder will also normally be granted permission that includes the right to work. The exact stamp and conditions are set at registration.
Your worker should check what is written on their family member's IRP card after registration and clarify any conditions with their immigration registration office. The rules are set by the immigration authorities, not by the employer.
What to tell candidates
When family reunification comes up in an offer conversation, here is what you can accurately say:
If you are offering a CSEP role: "Your family can apply to join you from day one. There is no waiting period. The join-family visa application goes through Immigration Service Delivery and processing takes some months, but there is no residency requirement on your side before they can apply."
If you are offering a GEP role: "After 12 months working in Ireland, you become eligible to sponsor your family's visa application. Processing takes time on top of that, so realistically your family would be looking at joining you after approximately two years, depending on when you get the application in and how long processing takes. Your salary will also need to be above €30,000 to sponsor a spouse, and higher if you have children."
That is an honest, accurate answer. It sets the right expectations and demonstrates that you have done your homework — which matters to candidates who have been given vague reassurances before.
If you want CA Recruitment to guide your candidates through this directly, that is part of what we do. Monette handles these conversations regularly.
Source: Immigration Service Delivery — Non-EEA Family Reunification Policy, updated June 12, 2026.