Irish Agreement Allows Registered Foreign Nurses to Start Work Before Receiving Critical Skills Permits
DUBLIN: Foreign nurses who have completed their professional registration in Ireland but are still waiting for a work permit have received some welcome news. The Department of Enterprise and Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI) have reached a temporary agreement allowing eligible overseas nurses to begin employment before receiving their Critical Skills Employment Permits.
The arrangement follows a disruption to EPOS, Ireland’s online employment permit application system, which remained unavailable for almost two weeks. The shutdown created significant difficulties for foreign workers and employers, prompting repeated calls from Nursing Homes Ireland for an interim solution.
Relief for nurses who have received their NMBI PIN
The temporary arrangement is primarily aimed at overseas nurses who have completed registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) and received their nursing Personal Identification Number (PIN), but are still awaiting a Critical Skills Employment Permit.
To qualify, applicants must hold a valid Atypical Working Scheme (AWS) permission and have completed the necessary employment requirements, including Garda vetting.
The decision is expected to benefit many Indian nurses who have successfully completed the RCSI aptitude test or an approved adaptation programme, obtained NMBI registration and are waiting for their employment permits.
Those who meet the conditions of the agreement will be allowed to take up employment before their Critical Skills permits are formally issued.
Work permit system shutdown creates difficulties
The EPOS system was temporarily taken offline by the government as a security precaution after suspicious cyber activity was detected on the employment permit portal in late October.
Although the processing of applications already submitted has continued, the inability to lodge new applications has caused considerable difficulties for employers and prospective employees.
The disruption has raised concerns about staffing levels, particularly in private nursing homes that depend heavily on internationally recruited nurses to maintain their services.
Temporary exemption, not a permanent change
Nursing Homes Ireland has clarified that the new arrangement is a temporary measure and does not amount to a permanent exemption from employment permit requirements.
The special arrangement will remain in place until the EPOS system becomes operational again or an alternative temporary system is introduced to accept new applications.
Employers have been instructed to submit the relevant employment permit applications for eligible nurses as soon as the system resumes normal operations.
NHI said the agreement was intended to ease pressure on the nursing home sector and prevent further staffing difficulties arising from the disruption to the permit application system.
Indian nurses among those expected to benefit
The decision is expected to provide relief to a significant number of overseas nurses, including Indian applicants who have completed their professional registration in Ireland and are waiting to begin employment.
However, the exemption applies only to those who satisfy the specified conditions, including holding a valid AWS permission, an NMBI nursing PIN and the other mandatory employment clearances.
The announcement does not indicate that nurses whose Atypical Working Scheme permission has expired are eligible for the temporary arrangement.
Nursing Homes Ireland has said further details about the implementation of the agreement will be provided as soon as they become available.
Irish Samachar English News