Meridian · Freshness tracker

What's changed.

Dated updates to visa, tax, residency, citizenship, housing, and labour policy across every country tracked. Every entry cites its primary source and the date we last verified it.

Subscribe via RSS ↗ · 14 entries shown

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Category All categoriesVisa & immigrationResidencyCitizenshipTaxationLabourHousingHealthcareOther
In force 1 Mar 2026
Announced Visa & immigration

Sub-standard salary thresholds (healthcare, agri-food) phased out by 2030

The December 2025 roadmap formalised the phasing-out of sub-standard Minimum Annual Remuneration (MAR) thresholds for healthcare and agri-food sectors by 2030 (rather than 2026 as originally planned). Sub-standard thresholds rise by 9% in 2026 as the first step.

Who it affects: Employers in healthcare, care, and agri-food sectors relying on sub-standard employment permits.

DETE — Employment Permits Salary Thresholds Roadmap 2025 ↗ · Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Mar 2026
Announced Visa & immigration

Salary-threshold roadmap: CSEP rises from €38,000 to €40,904 on 1 March 2026

DETE published a gradual-increase roadmap in December 2025 following a ministerial review. The Critical Skills Employment Permit minimum salary rises from €38,000 to €40,904 (a 7.66% increase) on 1 March 2026. The non-degree CSEP threshold rises from €64,000 to €68,911. Further increases are scheduled annually through to 2030.

Who it affects: Employers making CSEP applications from 1 March 2026 onwards; existing permit holders at the prior threshold are unaffected for the current permit cycle.

DETE — Employment Permits Salary Thresholds Roadmap 2025 ↗ · Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Mar 2025
In force Visa & immigration

Atypical Working Scheme processing times extended under volume pressure

ISD reported that the Atypical Working Scheme — used for short-term specialist assignments that fall outside standard employment permits — saw processing times extend to 8–12 weeks in early 2025 from the previous 2–4-week norm. Applicants are advised to build this into project timelines.

Who it affects: Short-term specialist assignments, locum medical workers, and employers using the Atypical Scheme.

Irish Immigration Service ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2025
In force Labour

National Minimum Wage raised to €13.50 per hour

The National Minimum Wage rose from €12.70 to €13.50 per hour on 1 January 2025, continuing the stepped trajectory toward a Living Wage pegged at 60% of median hourly earnings (statutory target 2026).

Who it affects: Low-wage employees, part-time workers, and employers of minimum-wage labour.

Government of Ireland ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2025
In force Taxation

Universal Social Charge (USC) bands and rates adjusted for 2025

Budget 2025 adjusted the Universal Social Charge bands and cut the 4% rate to 3% on the second USC band — the first USC rate reduction in several years. The change modestly raises take-home pay for middle earners; the adjustment is designed to offset fiscal-drag effects of wage growth.

Who it affects: All employees and self-employed Irish tax residents.

Revenue — Irish Tax and Customs ↗ · Government of Ireland ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Oct 2024
In force Visa & immigration

Seasonal Employment Permit introduced

A new short-term permit for seasonal employment (horticulture, soft-fruit picking, agriculture) up to seven months per calendar year. Initially piloted in late 2024 and rolled out formally in 2025. Designed to address targeted labour shortages without creating long-term residence pathways.

Who it affects: Non-EEA workers in seasonal agricultural sectors; horticulture and agri-food employers.

Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment ↗ · Government of Ireland ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 2 Sept 2024
In force Residency

Stamp 4 after 2 years on CSEP — retained under the 2024 reforms

The 2024 Employment Permits Act retained the existing fast-track to Stamp 4 (indefinite residence, unrestricted labour-market access, no further permit renewal required) for Critical Skills Employment Permit holders after two years on the permit. This remains a material advantage of CSEP over the General Employment Permit (which requires five years).

Who it affects: Critical Skills Employment Permit holders approaching the two-year anniversary of their first permit.

Irish Immigration Service ↗ · Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 2 Sept 2024
In force Visa & immigration

Reduced CSEP salary threshold for recent non-EEA graduates

A lower Critical Skills Employment Permit salary threshold was introduced for recent non-EEA graduates who have graduated in the previous 12 months with a relevant degree. Designed to retain international-student talent in the Irish labour market post-study.

Who it affects: Recent non-EEA graduates of Irish higher-education institutions transitioning to employment permits.

Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 2 Sept 2024
In force Visa & immigration

First-time permit holders can change employer after 9 months (was 12)

Under the Employment Permits Act 2024, first-time employment-permit holders can change employer after nine months of permit holding, reduced from the previous 12-month restriction. The new role must be in a similar field to the original permit to preserve policy intent.

Who it affects: First-time Critical Skills and General Employment Permit holders.

Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 2 Sept 2024
In force Visa & immigration

Labour Market Needs Test simplified — newspaper ad removed

The long-standing requirement to advertise jobs in a national newspaper for three days was dropped. New requirement is simpler: two online platforms, one of which must be EURES (the European Employment Services portal), for 28 consecutive days.

Who it affects: Employers applying for General Employment Permits and other non-Critical Skills routes.

Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 2 Sept 2024
In force Visa & immigration

Employment Permits Act 2024 enters force — largest reform in over a decade

The Employment Permits Act 2024 entered force on 2 September 2024, consolidating and modernising the eight previous employment-permit types into a single statutory framework. Key operational changes: permit holders can change employer after 9 months (previously 12), agencies can be the employer of a permit holder, labour-market testing is simplified to two online advertisements (including EURES) for 28 days, and newspaper advertisement is no longer required.

Who it affects: All non-EEA employment-permit applicants, existing permit holders, and Irish employers.

Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment ↗ · Oireachtas (Irish Parliament) ↗ · Government of Ireland ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 9 Apr 2024
In force Labour

Department rebranded: DETE (from DETE) — Enterprise, Tourism and Employment

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment was renamed the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment in April 2024 under a ministerial reshuffle. Employment-permits functions and staff remained unchanged; only the brand and tourism-policy consolidation are new. Existing URLs are redirecting correctly at enterprise.gov.ie.

Who it affects: Employers and applicants interacting with the employment-permits service — minor administrative context.

Government of Ireland ↗ · Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2024
In force Taxation

Rent Tax Credit increased to €750 per person

Budget 2024 (announced October 2023, in force January 2024) raised the Rent Tax Credit from €500 to €750 per person per year, and extended eligibility to parents paying rent for their student children in approved accommodation. Aimed at cushioning tenant pressures in Dublin and other constrained rental markets.

Who it affects: Private-rental-sector tenants including permit-holder expats.

Revenue — Irish Tax and Customs ↗ · Government of Ireland ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 15 Feb 2023
In force Residency

Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) closed to new applications

Ireland's Immigrant Investor Programme (Irish "golden visa"), which offered residence in exchange for qualifying investments from €500,000 upwards, was closed to new applications on 15 February 2023. Existing applications in the pipeline continued to be processed. Part of a broader European trend following Portugal and Spain moves against investor-residence schemes.

Who it affects: High-net-worth non-EEA applicants considering the Irish investor-residence route.

Irish Immigration Service ↗ · Government of Ireland ↗ · verified 2026-04-19