Ireland Internship Visa

What is the Ireland Internship Visa?

The Ireland Internship Visa is intended for foreign citizens who want to come to Ireland to complete an internship and enhance their professional skills.

It is a type of Employment Permit that can be applied for as either a Long Stay ‘D’ Visa allowing you to stay in Ireland for more than three months, or a Short Stay ‘C’ Visa that allows you to remain in the country for up to 90 days.

Whether or not you are eligible to apply for an Internship Visa depends on your personal circumstances. The Internship visa of more than 90 days must be paid.

Moreover, if you want to come to Ireland for an internship, you have to be enrolled as a student in a full-time third level course in a country that is not Ireland.

What are the eligibility requirements for the Internship Visa?

In addition to coming to Ireland as a paid intern and being a student of a third-level institution, the eligibility requirements for the Internship Visa include:

• You have secured a job offer
• You are receiving the National Minimum Wage or more
• You will hold a role that is on the list of Highly Skilled Eligible Occupations
• You intend to leave Ireland after the internship finishes and you are able to prove it
• You are able to provide details of any financial support you will be receiving during the internship
• You are able to prove that the internship is related to what you study and will help you progress in your course of study.

In addition to that, to be able to apply for the Internship Employment Permit, you have to first receive an immigration permission allowing you to take part in a paid placement in Ireland. Without it you will not be able to start working as an intern in Ireland. To obtain the permission you have to show evidence of having a job offer or an employment contract.

If you are not sure whether you are eligible for the Internship Visa, talk to our immigration consultants. They will look at your case and advise you whether the visa is a good option for you. If they determine that you meet the eligibility criteria, they will help you submit your application.

Permitted and Not Permitted Activities for Internship Visa Holders in Ireland

The main right granted by the Ireland Internship visa is to complete a one-year-long paid internship in Ireland that is related to your studies. Similarly, an Ireland Unpaid Internship visa will allow you to remain in Ireland for 90 days while gaining experience in an unpaid internship.

If you are in Ireland on an internship visa, you can usually not have your family members join you. They will need to apply for a different Irish visa to come with you. Furthermore, you can usually not carry out other paid or unpaid work not covered by your visa. This includes other full-time roles that would replace your internship, as the visa provides only for the internship you specified in your application.

The only way you can change employers while on an Internship Employment Permit is if a transfer of employment has taken place according to the European Communities (Protection of Employees on Transfer of Undertakings) Regulations 2003. Your employer must complete a Transfer of Undertaking form and send it to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Most importantly, you cannot remain in Ireland after your visa expires. Failure to leave the country voluntarily could harm your chances of returning to Ireland or the European Union or European Economic Area in the future.

What is the Atypical Working Scheme?

If you want to come to Ireland as an intern, you can apply for the Internship Employment Permit or Atypical Working Scheme permission. It is another permit introduced by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI).

The Atypical Working Scheme is intended for individuals who are considered to be high skilled. The eligibility requirements for this route to an internship position in Ireland are:

• The applicant is able to fill a position that is in shortage of skills
• The applicant receives wages for their internship or short-term employment
• The applicant secured an Atypical Working Scheme letter of approval
• The applicant applied for an appropriate entry permission to Ireland before they arrived in the country.

If you are coming to Ireland for more than 90 days as a Paid Researcher or Locum Doctor to work in a general practice, the hospital sector, or primary care sector, this route is the best for you.

How to apply for Ireland Internship Visa?

If you want to come to Ireland to complete an internship, you have to submit your application from your country or the country where you are a resident.

First, regardless of whether you are applying via the Internship Employment Permit route or the Atypical Working Scheme route, you need to submit your visa application online via AVATS. After you submit the application you will be given instructions explaining where to send your documents.

Then, you have to send your passport, valid for at least six months past your planned stay in Ireland, as well as other documents proving your eligibility for the Visa for processing. You have to send them to the office displayed on your visa application summary sheet.

How can an employer apply for an Intern Permit?

Irish employers who want to accept interns from abroad need to apply for the Intern Permit. To be able to get it, you have to be genuine and legal. These criteria are assessed by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation.

To apply for the Intern Permit, you have to be registered with the Revenue Commissioners and, in some cases, with the Companies Registration Office/Registry of Friendly Societies. You also have to show that you intend to pay the interns.

Intern Permits are granted to employers on the condition that over half of employees in their business are EEA nationals.

If you have a business in Ireland and you want to recruit foreign nationals as interns, contact our immigration experts. They will tell you how you can organise it and what permits you need to apply for.

Supporting Documentation for Irish Internship Visa Application

When you make your Internship Employment Permit application, you will need to provide supporting documentation to show that you are eligible. The most commonly required pieces of supporting documentation are as follows:

• Two recent passport-style photographs.
• Your current passport, valid for at least six months after your departure date from Ireland.
• A completed and signed letter of application.
• Details of where you plan to stay. If you are being hosted, the host must provide a signed confirmation letter.
• Bank statements covering the previous six months prior to the application.
• Documents from the course director of your university, including details of your course, how the internship relates to your studies, if they will support you during your stay in Ireland, and the links between the institution and the Irish host or business.
• A police clearance certificate.
• Evidence of medical and travel insurance.
• Evidence that you will return home after the internship, such as a return flight.
• Details of any previous immigration issues.
• Details of any pending charges and past convictions.

The company that is running the internship must also provide a letter giving the details of the internship.

How much does the Ireland Internship Visa cost?

How much you will have to pay for the Internship Visa depends on how long you want to stay in Ireland. For both the Long Stay ‘D’ Visa and the Short Stay ‘C’ Visa you will have to pay either €60 for a single entry permit or €100 for a multiple entry visa.

In addition to that, however, you will have to pay the fees for the Internship Employment Permit or the Atypical Working Scheme. For the Internship Employment Permit you will need to pay:

• €500 for a permit valid for 6 months or less or
• €1,000 for a permit valid from 6 to 12 months.

If your application for the Internship Visa is unsuccessful, you will receive a ninety percent refund.

What is the processing time of Ireland Internship visa?

The waiting time for the Internship Visa varies depending on how many people have applied for it at the same time as you as applications are reviewed in chronological order. Generally, you should apply for the Internship Visa at least three months before your employment is supposed to start.

This way you should receive your visa on time even if there are delays. The minimum waiting time for the Internship Visa is twenty working days. It is unusual for applicants to get the decision sooner than that.

To avoid mistakes that can make the processing time of your visa take longer, hire one of our immigration consultants. They will go over your application before you submit it to make sure you completed it correctly and included all the information and documents that might be needed.

What Happens After You Apply for Irish Internship Visa?

Once you have completed your application and paid the associated fees, it will be moved to a processing queue depending on the type of employer your internship will be in: Trusted Partner or Standard. You can find your visa’s queue by asking the employer and checking processing times through the Irish Government website.

When your application reaches the front of the queue, it will reach the processing stage. At this point, you may be asked to provide additional application materials, and you will have 28 days to supply these.

Once any additional materials have been given, you will receive notification that your application has been granted or refused. If refused, you have 28 days to submit a Submission of a Decision for Review Form. Beginning this process will mean your appeal is looked over by a more senior official.

Can I Extend My Internship Visa While in Ireland?

The Ireland Unpaid Internship visa is applicable for those undertaking unpaid internships that last no more than 90 days and are a required part of your studies. It is a type of ‘C’ visa category and is not intended for a long-term stay.

For those with an internship employment permit, which usually lasts 12 months, a longer and paid Irish internship is possible. However, like the Ireland Unpaid Internship visa, this permit cannot usually be extended.

If you wish to stay in Ireland after your Ireland Unpaid Internship visa or Internship Employment Permit has expired, you will need to seek another way to remain in the country legally. For example, you may try to get permanent employment with the internship provider and then apply for an Employment Permit and long-stay visa.

Internship Visas for Under 18s

The Irish Internship Employment Permit can be accessible for under-18s. The application process is broadly similar, although there are some differences. Most notably, adults’ consent is required.

Consent is shown by a letter from the child’s school and proof of consent from a legal guardian. The guardian must show that they are legally responsible for the child and must be able to financially support them while the child is completing their internship in Ireland.

Finally, under-18s have slightly different working regulations from adults in Ireland. The internship must follow these rules. Their working day cannot be longer than 8 hours, and the working week must be 40 hours or less. These hours cannot be outside 6 am to 10 pm, unless the work is for a licenced premises. Further rules must be followed if time is taken off from school to complete the internship.

How can IAS help?

Applying for an Irish visa, including the Internship Visa, can be a complex process. Luckily, at IAS our highly-qualified consultants have experience with guiding applicants through the process. If you hire one of our consultants over an immigration lawyer, you will be offered professional assistance with filling out your application. Thanks to that you will maximise your chances of a positive outcome.

Your expert will be around to answer all your questions and clear any doubts you might have. They will explain to you in detail what the conditions of your visa are and what you are allowed to do when you are in Ireland.

For further information about how our consultants can help, call us today on +44 (0)333 414 9244 or +353 (0) 61 518 025.