The challenge Irish employers face
Most Irish employers who contact us have already spent months trying to fill a role. They've advertised locally, tried agency staff, and got nowhere. They know they need to look further — but the moment they hear "work permit," the process feels uncertain enough to put the whole idea off.
That uncertainty is the problem we solve. CA Recruitment manages the full DETE employment permit process for Irish employers, from the initial Labour Market Needs Test through to the worker's first day. You don't touch the paperwork. You focus on running your business.
We are Filipino-owned and Ireland-based, founded by Monette — a Filipino national who moved to Ireland and built this agency specifically to connect Irish employers with the Filipino workforce. We have genuine community connections in the Philippines, not a CV database. Every candidate we present has been sourced, interviewed, and vetted before they reach you.
What we do — and who we do it for
We place Filipino workers across a wide range of sectors. The common thread is employers who cannot fill roles from the domestic market and need a partner who will manage the permit process properly.
We confirm eligibility for your specific role and sector during a free consultation. Not every role qualifies for every permit route — we'll give you an honest assessment before you commit to anything.
Why generalist overseas agencies miss the care worker tier
If you run a residential care home, home care service, or disability support organisation, you may have contacted other overseas recruitment agencies and hit a wall. Here's why that happens — and why it won't happen with us.
Most overseas agencies focus on construction, engineering, and agriculture. These sectors typically involve roles at or above the standard General Employment Permit (GEP) salary threshold of €36,605. Care workers operate on different terms. The care assistant and home carer roles qualify for a reduced GEP threshold of €16.12 per hour — €32,691 per annum on a 39-hour week, or €33,529.60 on a 40-hour week — but only if the employer and role structure meet the specific DETE requirements for this tier.
Agencies that don't know this tier don't work it. They either quote you standard GEP costs that don't apply, or they simply tell you care assistant roles don't qualify — which is incorrect.
CA Recruitment specifically serves the care worker tier. We know the permit route, we know the salary thresholds, and we know the HIQA and DETE compliance requirements that affect care placements. If you're a care home operator or home care provider who has been turned away or given incorrect information by other agencies, talk to us.
See our full care & social services sector page →
How the hiring process works
- 1
Free Consultation
We assess your role, your sector, and the appropriate permit route. We'll tell you what's involved, what it costs, and what a realistic timeline looks like. No obligation, no charge.
- 2
Labour Market Needs Test
Before a GEP application can be submitted, the role must be advertised for 28 days on Jobs Ireland and at least one other platform. We manage this requirement in full — you don't post anything yourself.
- 3
Candidate Sourcing & Vetting
We source candidates from the Philippines through our community networks, interview them, verify their qualifications and references, and present only those who match your role. We have people on the ground in the Philippines — this is not a database search.
- 4
DETE Permit Application
We prepare and submit the employment permit application through the DETE online system. We manage all supporting documentation, follow up on the application, and handle any queries from DETE directly.
- 5
Pre-Departure & Arrival Support
We support the worker through visa processing, pre-departure preparation, and arrival in Ireland. We stay in contact through the first 90 days to make sure the placement is working for both sides.
Read the full permit process explanation in our Work Permit Guide for Irish Employers →
Need to hire a Filipino worker?
WhatsApp us and we'll walk you through the permit process for your specific role and sector. Free consultation, no commitment.
WhatsApp UsWhy Irish employers choose CA Recruitment
Filipino-owned. Ireland-based.
Monette founded CA Recruitment as a Filipino national living in Ireland. We have cultural knowledge, language fluency, and community networks in the Philippines that no third-party broker can replicate. That's how we find candidates other agencies miss — and why those candidates trust us enough to make the move.
Reliable, long-term staff
We place hard-working people who are committed to building a long-term future with your business, not just filling a short-term gap.
Transparent, fixed fees
We agree a clear, fixed recruitment fee with you upfront. The €1,000 DETE permit fee, and any visa and travel costs, are billed to you at cost and paid directly to DETE where applicable — never marked up by us.
End-to-end permit management
We own the permit process from start to finish. Labour Market Needs Test, DETE application, supporting documentation, follow-up with the department — none of that falls on you. Most of our clients have never handled a work permit before. That's fine. You don't need to.
On-the-ground candidate vetting
We have people in the Philippines who assess candidates in person. References checked, qualifications verified, character assessed before anyone is presented to you. You receive a shortlist of people we'd hire ourselves, not a pile of CVs from a database.
Care worker tier expertise
We are one of the few agencies in Ireland that actively works the GEP care worker tier (€16.12/hr threshold — €32,691/yr at 39 hours). If you operate in care and have been turned away by other agencies, or given incorrect information about permit eligibility, we can help.
What Irish employers say
"The compliance piece was what worried me most: work permits, visas, the whole lot. CA handled every bit of it. Our new accounts administrator was in the office and productive within two months of first contact."
"We needed reliable staff for our shop in Midleton and couldn't find the right people locally. CA Recruitment placed two excellent Filipino workers with us — both have been brilliant from day one. Couldn't recommend them highly enough."
"We were sceptical that anyone could actually manage the permit process for us — it looked complicated and time-consuming. CA Recruitment took the whole thing off our plate. The workers they placed are outstanding."
"I'd tried two other agencies and got nowhere. CA Recruitment got us fully permitted Filipino workers within the timeline they promised. The process was straightforward once Monette and the team were running it."
Frequently Asked Questions
CA Recruitment is a Filipino-owned, Ireland-based agency that places Filipino workers with Irish employers and manages the full DETE employment permit process. Founded by Monette, a Filipino national living in Co. Tipperary, the agency has genuine community networks in the Philippines and end-to-end permit expertise — including the care worker GEP tier that most agencies don't serve.
Irish companies typically use managed recruitment services that handle both candidate sourcing and DETE employment permit management together. Trying to manage the DETE process independently — particularly the Labour Market Needs Test, permit application, and documentation requirements — adds significant time and risk. Most employers who've tried it once prefer to hand it over to a specialist. CA Recruitment provides this fully managed service across all eligible sectors.
Hiring Filipino workers for an Irish business requires a DETE employment permit — typically a General Employment Permit (GEP) for most roles, or a Critical Skills Employment Permit for higher-skilled positions. The process involves a 28-day Labour Market Needs Test, a DETE permit application, and visa processing for the worker. Total timeline is typically 6–8 months. CA Recruitment manages the entire process. Start with a free consultation to confirm the right permit route for your role.
CA Recruitment has a recruitment fee that is agreed with you upfront and separate from government costs. The main external cost is the DETE employment permit application fee — currently €1,000 for a General Employment Permit. Full cost breakdown is provided at your free initial consultation.
The typical timeline is 6–8 months from initial consultation to the worker starting. This covers the 28-day Labour Market Needs Test, DETE permit processing (currently approximately 10–12 weeks for new GEP applications — check current DETE processing dates at enterprise.gov.ie as this changes), and visa processing. We give you a realistic timeline at the outset based on your sector and current processing speeds.
Yes — and this is an area where CA Recruitment is specifically stronger than most overseas recruitment agencies. Care assistant, home carer, and disability support roles qualify for the GEP at a reduced threshold of €16.12 per hour — €32,691 per annum on a 39-hour week, or €33,529.60 on a 40-hour week — not the standard €36,605. Most generalist overseas agencies don't work this tier, either because they don't know it or because they focus on higher-salary sectors. We place Filipino care workers in residential care homes, home care agencies, and disability services across Ireland. See our care sector page →
Workers placed via an employment permit have relocated specifically for this role and this employer, so retention is consistently strong — much higher than a local or casual hire. We vet carefully and stay in contact through the first 90 days. If a placement runs into difficulty in the early weeks, contact us and we'll work through the options with you.