All employment permits are valid only for the employer and the employment stated on the permit. If you wish to change employer, you must submit an application for a new employment permit in line with the eligibility criteria for the type of permit being applied for.
If you are currently working in Ireland on your first employment permit in the State you are expected to continue in that employment for a period of twelve months from the commencement of the employment before considering applying for a new employment permit.
This provision attempts to strike a reasonable balance between, on the one hand, the employer’s expectations that you will remain in his or her employment for a reasonable period of time given the costs involved in recruitment and, on the other hand, not unduly binding you to the employer.
However, in exceptional circumstances, such as redundancy, or where circumstances (unforeseen at time of application) arise in your employment that fundamentally change the employment relationship (for example, your employer plans to change the location of the business to a site a significant distance from its current location, or the hours that you work are being significantly changed, or significant changes are being made to the nature of the work that you are required to do), you may be granted an employment permit for an alternative, eligible job before 12 months have elapsed from the date you started employment.