In short: Yes — care assistants and home support workers qualify for a General Employment Permit at the reduced €32,691 threshold, and care assistants do not need NMBI registration. Support workers are a different occupation and sit on the standard €36,605 band in any setting, unless the recent Irish graduate band applies. Support Worker also carries its own 200-permit quota, so we confirm whether the category is open before you advertise. CA Recruitment manages the full DETE permit and visa process for nursing homes, homecare and disability services.
Care Sector Staffing in Ireland
Ireland's care and social services sector faces one of the most severe staffing crises in the country. Residential care homes, home care agencies, and disability services are operating with chronic vacancies that cannot be filled from the domestic labour market alone.
Overseas care workers bring exactly what this sector needs: genuine compassion, patience, and a caring culture that runs deep. Many come with direct experience in care settings and hold qualifications in healthcare or social services. CA Recruitment places vetted overseas care workers across the spectrum of care and support roles, managing the full permit process so you can focus on delivering services.
Roles We Fill
The Permit Process
- 1
Free Consultation
We assess the role, your current workforce, and the appropriate permit route. No obligation or charge.
- 2
Sourcing, Vetting & Labour Market Test
We source and vet candidates in the Philippines and manage the 28-day labour market advertising requirement (JobsIreland.ie + EURES + one other online platform — three platforms, two postings, since registering on jobsireland.ie covers both JobsIreland and EURES) before submitting the application.
- 3
Placement & 90-Day Support
We support the worker's arrival and first 90 days.
Struggling to fill care vacancies?
WhatsApp us and we'll assess your situation in a free consultation. We cover residential, community, and disability settings.
WhatsApp UsWhy Filipino Care Workers?
Natural Compassion
Filipino culture places enormous value on caring for others, particularly the elderly and vulnerable. This shows up every day in care settings — it's not something you can train into someone.
English Proficiency
Clear communication with residents, clients, and colleagues is critical in care settings. Overseas care workers from the Philippines are English fluent as standard.
Care Qualifications
Many Filipino candidates hold formal care or health-related qualifications and bring direct residential or community care experience from the Philippines or previous overseas placements.
Commitment & Stability
Permit-route workers are motivated to stay and build a career. The turnover and reliability problems common with agency care staff are much less of an issue.
What Care Providers 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."
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — but the pay floor is not the same for every care role. Care assistant, home care worker and support worker roles all qualify for the General Employment Permit (GEP). Health care assistants, care workers, home carers and home support workers (SOC 6145) take DETE's reduced rate: €16.12 per hour, which works out at €32,691 per annum on a 39-hour week or €33,529.60 on a 40-hour week. Support Worker is a different occupation (SOC 3239), and DETE does not publish the reduced rate for it — so a support worker sits on the standard GEP band — €36,605 a year, or €18.05 an hour — in any setting. Both figures bind, on either band. A lower graduate band can also apply where the worker holds a relevant Level 8 or higher degree on the Irish Register of Qualifications, awarded in the 12 months before the application date. Both groups are quota-capped under S.I. 213/2026 — 1,495 permits for care workers and home carers, 200 for Support Worker, both from 13 May 2026. Those are statutory ceilings, not the number still available: DETE publishes no running count. What it publishes is notices — when a quota is set or renewed, and when one has filled. Once a quota has filled, applications still in the processing queue are rejected. You will not usually get a warning first. Support Worker is much the smaller pot, so whether it is open is a live question — we check the current position on DETE's employment permits notices before you advertise. The qualifying figure must be basic pay — guaranteed premium payments can count, but bonuses, shift allowances, and overtime cannot. The role must be on the DETE eligible occupations list and pass the 28-day Labour Market Needs Test. We manage the full process.
Care assistants, home carers, home support workers and support workers are the roles we place most often via the GEP route. The pay floor differs between them: care assistants, home carers and home support workers sit on the reduced €16.12 rate, support workers on the standard €36,605 a year / €18.05 an hour band, unless the recent Irish graduate band applies. Support Worker also carries its own 200-permit quota under S.I. 213/2026, separate from the 1,495 for care workers and home carers — a quota that may be open or closed on the day you apply, so we confirm the current DETE position before you advertise. Social Care Worker is a separate question — it is a CORU-registered profession, but DETE assigns an application to a SOC code rather than to the job title you use, so talk to us before you advertise under that title. What is settled: Social Care Worker is not one of the occupations DETE names on the reduced €32,691 rate, so budget the standard General Employment Permit minimum unless we confirm otherwise. We confirm eligibility and the correct pay floor for your specific role during your free consultation.
Regulatory requirements differ by role and setting. We're familiar with the compliance framework for care homes, home care providers, and disability services. We advise on any role-specific regulatory considerations — such as Garda vetting requirements — as part of the recruitment process.
Typically 6–8 months from consultation to the worker starting. This covers the 28-day Labour Market Needs Test and DETE permit processing (check current processing dates at enterprise.gov.ie).
Many of the candidates we source have direct care experience — in residential settings, home care, or disability services. We vet candidates carefully for the type of role you need, and only present workers whose background matches your requirements. Filipino workers are widely regarded for their warmth, patience, and dedication to care work.
CA Recruitment's recruitment fee is agreed upfront and is separate from government costs. The employer-paid DETE GEP fee (currently €1,000) is the main external cost. Full breakdown provided at consultation.