Working in Ireland after graduation: Stamp 1G and the Third Level Graduate Programme explained

On Stamp 2 you can work up to 20 hours a week during term and up to 40 hours a week in the holiday periods, which are fixed: June to September inclusive, and 15 December to 15 January. These are weekly maximums, not averages, and they apply across all your jobs combined. You cannot be self-employed. Students on Stamp 2A, for courses not on the official list of eligible programmes, may not work at all.

Treat these hours as career capital, not just rent money. A part-time role in your field, a research assistant post or a summer internship gives you an Irish reference and a line on your CV that recruiters will ask about.

The Third Level Graduate Programme lets non-EEA graduates of Irish colleges stay to look for graduate-level work and apply for an employment permit. To qualify you must:

• Hold a Level 8 or Level 9 award (or above) from a recognised Irish awarding body: the universities and technological universities, RCSI, institutes of technology or QQI.
• Have been notified in writing by your college that you achieved the award, on or after 1 January 2017.
• Hold a current Stamp 2 permission and IRP card, and apply within six months of that notification.
• Not have gone over the seven-year limit on student permission.
• Bring evidence of the award (your parchment, or an official letter if you have not graduated yet), your passport, medical insurance and the €300 fee.

Stamp 1G is not an automatic extension. If your Stamp 2 runs out before your results arrive, speak to your college’s international office early.

Not on the basis of an English course. The programme is for graduates with a Level 8 or higher award from a recognised Irish awarding body. English language students can be registered on a maximum of three 25-week courses; to stay longer as a student you need to move to a higher-education course on the official eligible list. If you plan to work in Ireland after that degree, choose it with the permit lists in mind.

You can work full-time, up to 40 hours a week, in any job and at any salary, and take a part-time course alongside. You cannot run a business or be self-employed. Other conditions stay the same as on Stamp 2. Time on Stamp 1G counts as reckonable residence for citizenship, which Stamp 2 does not.

Use the freedom deliberately. A full-time job that meets a permit threshold is worth more than two part-time jobs that don’t, because it can carry you onto a permit when Stamp 1G ends.

Level 9 and 10 graduates get 12 months first, and can renew for a further 12 months, within an overall eight-year limit on student and graduate permission. The renewal is not automatic: you must show that you took appropriate steps to find graduate-level work, such as attending interviews or signing up with graduate recruitment agencies. Keep a simple log from day one: date, employer, role, stage reached.

If you used Stamp 1G after a bachelor’s degree and then complete a higher award, you can re-enter the programme for another 12 months, but no graduate can use it on more than two occasions.

Stamp 1G is a bridge, not a destination. To keep working after it, you need a job that qualifies for an employment permit, and the application can be made while you are in Ireland on Stamp 1G.

Recent graduates get lower thresholds. The Critical Skills Employment Permit starts at €36,848 for an occupation on the Critical Skills Occupations List if you got your qualification in the 12 months before applying, against €40,904 for everyone else. The General Employment Permit starts at €34,009 if you have a relevant degree from an Irish college awarded in the previous 12 months. After that year the standard thresholds apply, so apply early in your Stamp 1G, not in its last month.

The Critical Skills route is the one to aim for: it needs a two-year offer, has no labour market test, lets your partner work and leads to Stamp 4 after 21 months. Applications must reach the Department at least 12 weeks before the start date. On 11 September 2026 it was processing Critical Skills applications received on 3 September and General Employment Permit applications received on 6 August. The Ireland work permit guide covers the full conditions.

Start with your college careers service: CV reviews, mock interviews and employer fairs cost you nothing. gradireland lists graduate programmes and internships and publishes employer rankings; LinkedIn and IrishJobs.ie carry many more roles once you have some experience. For the public service, see publicjobs.ie.

Be strategic about sector. Employers in Critical Skills fields such as software, data, engineering, science and health are more likely to know the permit process already. In other sectors, raise your right to work early: “I am on Stamp 1G and eligible for a General Employment Permit at this salary” answers the question before it becomes a reason to reject you. The Ireland job-search roadmap covers portals and hiring norms.

Lead with education, because it is your strongest evidence: full degree title, NFQ level, grade or expected grade, and your thesis or final project with one result. Then show part-time work as proof of skills an employer needs, such as handling customers, working to deadlines, training new staff. Keep it to one page. The Irish CV guide covers the format and how to write your right-to-work line.

You don’t need Stamp 1G or a permit: you can work in Ireland without restriction during and after your studies. Your advantage over non-EU classmates is real, so say so on your CV and in applications. You can start immediately, with no paperwork for the employer.