Employer guide
Hire from South Africa to Ireland
How recruiting skilled workers from South Africa into Ireland actually works, at both ends: the employment permit here, the paperwork there, the trade test in between, and how long it takes. Fixed fee, no retainer, nothing charged to the worker.
Why South Africa
What you get from this corridor
South Africa has deep pools of artisans trained through a formal apprenticeship system: welders, boilermakers, fitters, diesel mechanics, electricians and heavy vehicle drivers, most with mining, automotive or plant experience. English is the language of work. There is no exit permit regime, so the timeline is set by the Irish or UK side alone.
How we test
Tested at our own trade testing workshop in Johannesburg
Every trade candidate is assessed on the tools by a qualified assessor before you interview them, on the process and positions your job needs, and you see the result. Drivers are assessed on a practical drive and their licence route into Ireland is confirmed before anyone books a flight.
The process
From South Africa to Ireland, both ends
Two sets of rules run at once: Ireland's, which decide whether the worker may come, and South Africa's, which decide whether they may go. Most delays come from running them one after the other. We run them together.
The Irish side
- 1
A job offer first
An employment permit is for a named worker in a named job with a named employer, so the written offer comes first. The role and the pay have to meet the current rules for the permit type; we check that with you before anything moves.
- 2
The labour market test, where it applies
For a General Employment Permit the role is usually advertised first for the set period, unless it is on a list that exempts it. We run the advertising and keep the evidence the application needs.
- 3
The permit application
The application goes to the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. We prepare it with you so it goes in complete the first time. Processing times move; we quote the current one when you ask, not a brochure figure.
- 4
Visa, travel and registration
With the permit issued, the worker applies for the entry visa where their nationality needs one, travels, and registers with immigration on arrival. We handle the arrival side with them so you get a worker on day one, not a queue.
The South Africa side
- 1
No exit accreditation
South Africa does not require an overseas employer to be accredited or a job order to be approved before a worker can leave. The process is the host country's permit or visa, plus the worker's own documents.
- 2
Qualifications and trade papers
Artisan trade test certificates and apprenticeship records are checked against the awarding body. Where an employer needs it, we arrange the equivalence assessment for the destination country.
- 3
Police clearance and medical
A South African Police Service clearance certificate and, where the route requires it, a medical, both of which we schedule around the permit timeline so nothing expires before travel.
- 4
Driving licences
A South African licence is on Ireland's exchange list, so drivers exchange rather than retest; the UK is a different process and we walk drivers through it.
The Irish requirements on this site are checked against the official source; the current list is on the requirements block. The South Africa side is set out in outline; the current detail is confirmed with the destination country's permit or visa rules; South Africa imposes none of its own for each hire.
How long
The honest answer is that the employment permit sets the pace and the South Africa paperwork runs alongside it. Testing and selection are the quick part, and the brief decides how quick. When you tell us the roles, you get the current permit processing time as it stands that week, not a figure from a brochure.
Official figures
Irish permits to nationals of South Africa, by year
Employment permits issued, all sectors. The full page, and this month's Permit Pulse.
What the numbers say
1,117 permits for South Africa nationals by the end of September 2026, already 90% of the 1,240 issued in the whole of 2025.
At the current pace 2026 would finish around 1,489, up 20% on 2025.
The busiest full year on record was 2024 with 1,631 permits. In 2010 the figure was 201. That is a 8.1-fold rise.
Who is already doing it
The biggest permit users in Ireland this year
Questions
What employers ask about hiring from South Africa
Can an employer in Ireland hire directly from South Africa?
Yes, in the sense that there is no accreditation regime on the South Africa side stopping you. In practice the work is finding, testing and verifying the right people and getting the employment permit through, which is what you are paying us for.
Who pays for what?
You pay us a fixed fee per placement, with no retainer; the fee and exactly what it covers are in the proposal, alongside the government fees for the employment permit and visa and the travel, so there are no surprises. The worker pays nothing to us, at any stage, for anything. That is a licence condition in Ireland and our rule everywhere.
How do I know they can actually do the job?
Because they have done it in front of our assessor before you see them. Trades are tested on the tools at our own trade testing workshop in Johannesburg, drivers on a practical drive, and you get the result and the assessor's notes with the CV. If you want to set the test piece yourself, you can.
What about English?
Every candidate is interviewed in English by us before they reach you, and you interview them yourself on video before any offer. Where a role or a permit type needs a formal language level, we tell you which one and arrange the test.
What happens if it does not work out?
Most placements that fail do so in the first weeks, and it is usually about settling in rather than skill. We stay involved after arrival, with the worker and with you, and what happens if a placement does not hold is written into the proposal in plain words.
Can I hire people already in Ireland instead?
Often, yes, and we will always show you those first: workers already in the country with the right to work, or already on a permit and eligible to move. A change of employer on an existing permit is a different, quicker application. The overseas route is for the numbers you cannot find here.
For employers in Ireland from South Africa
Tell us how many skilled workers you need and when
You get candidates we already have trade tested, the permit timeline as it stands, and a fixed fee. No retainer, nothing charged to the candidate, and nothing to sign until you have seen people.
Martin, Lance or another member of our team will get back to you. Who we areLooking for work? This form is for employers. Register here instead, it is free.
We work directly with employers. We do not take on other recruitment agencies, labour suppliers or sub-agents.
Prefer to lay it out yourself? The hiring planner takes the roles, numbers and start date and gives you a plan on the spot.
Same country, other side
Other countries
Worth following
Who we placed, and where the market is going
Monthly figures on who is hiring overseas, what the Department published, and the trades that are getting hard to fill. No sales posts.
Source: Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Employment Permit Statistics. Contains Irish Public Sector Data licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. A permit issued to a company is a record of a past application. It is not a vacancy and not a promise of sponsorship.
Is this your organisation? To update what is shown here, or for more information, email us. The figures come from the published register; we cannot change the register itself, only how it is presented here.