Stamp 1G is the immigration permission Ireland can grant to non-EEA graduates of a Level 8 or higher award from a recognised Irish awarding body, so they can stay and look for graduate work. It is granted only if you meet the programme's conditions, mainly a current Stamp 2, an application within six months of being told you passed, and time left under the seven-year student limit. It lasts up to 12 months after a Level 8 degree and up to 24 months after a Level 9 or higher degree. During that time you can work full time without an employment permit.
The rules sit in the Third Level Graduate Programme, published by Immigration Service Delivery (ISD), the part of the Department of Justice that handles immigration. The same stamp is also given to some spouses and partners of employment permit holders, which is covered briefly further down.
Before you read on: this article explains the published rules as they stood on 1 October 2026. It is informational and is not legal or immigration advice. ISD decides every application, and your own dates and conditions are the ones printed on your Irish Residence Permit (IRP).
Who can get Stamp 1G as a graduate
The Third Level Graduate Programme rules set out who qualifies. You need all of the following:
- You are a non-EEA national who studied in Ireland on a programme listed on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP).
- A recognised Irish awarding body gave you a qualification at Level 8 or above on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). Level 8 is an honours bachelor's degree; Level 9 is a master's.
- You hold a current Stamp 2 student permission and a valid IRP card.
- You apply within six months of the date your college told you in writing that you had passed.
- You have not already gone past the seven-year limit on time as a non-EEA student in Ireland.
Two cases are excluded. A degree awarded by an overseas body is not eligible, even if you studied for it in Ireland. And ISD will not accept an application from someone whose permission has already expired, so you need to apply before your Stamp 2 runs out.
How long Stamp 1G lasts
The length depends on the level of your award and on how long you have already spent in Ireland as a student.
| Your award | Maximum Stamp 1G | Overall cap on student time plus Stamp 1G |
|---|---|---|
| Level 8 (honours bachelor's) | 12 months | 7 years |
| Level 9 or above (master's, PhD) | 24 months, granted as 12 months plus a renewal of 12 months | 8 years |
You get whichever is shorter: the full 12 or 24 months, or the time left before you reach the overall cap. If you have already spent six and a half years on Stamp 2, a Level 8 graduate permission would run for about six months.
For Level 9 graduates, the second year is not automatic. The first grant is for 12 months. ISD renews it for a further 12 only if you show you have taken real steps to find graduate-level work, such as attending interviews or registering with graduate recruitment agencies. The rules say ISD looks at DETE's occupation lists and permit salary thresholds when it judges those efforts, so keep a record of what you applied for and when.
You can use the programme on two separate occasions at most. The usual case is a Level 8 graduate who later completes a Level 9 award and comes back into the programme, still within the eight-year limit.
What Stamp 1G lets you do
Under the programme rules, you can work full time in line with employment law. You do not need an employment permit while you hold Stamp 1G, so an employer can hire you for any job without applying to DETE for you.
The ISD page on immigration stamps describes the stamp the same way and adds that your other conditions stay the same as they were on Stamp 2. The same page also says time on Stamp 1G counts as reckonable residence for Irish citizenship, while time on Stamp 2 does not.
The programme exists so that you can find graduate-level work and then apply for a General Employment Permit, a Critical Skills Employment Permit or a researcher hosting agreement. The stamp itself does not restrict which jobs you take while you search. A Level 9 graduate who wants the second year still needs evidence of a search for graduate-level work.
What Stamp 1G does not do
- It does not let you run a business or work for yourself. The rules say you may not operate a business or be self-employed, so freelance contracts paid to you as a sole trader do not fit.
- It does not continue after it expires. ISD says that to keep working afterwards you must find a job that requires an employment permit and go through the normal DETE application.
- It does not stretch past the caps. Seven years for Level 8 and eight years for Level 9 and above are overall limits, and they include your time on Stamp 2.
- It does not cover degrees from overseas awarding bodies. Only qualifications awarded by recognised Irish bodies count.
How to apply
You apply online, before your Stamp 2 expires. ISD's renewal page says renewals are submitted through its online renewals portal wherever you live in Ireland, and that this includes moving from Stamp 2 to Stamp 1G. The same page lists the submission dates it is currently processing for each stamp; on 1 October 2026 it was working on Stamp 1G applications submitted on 31 July 2026.
Upload proof of your award: an official letter from your college confirming the result, or your degree parchment. The registration fee is €300. Level 9 graduates renewing for the second year also need evidence of their job search over the previous 12 months.
Stamp 1G for spouses and partners
ISD also gives Stamp 1G to the spouse or de facto partner of a Critical Skills Employment Permit holder, once family reunification is granted. Since 15 May 2024, it also gives it to the spouse or partner of a General Employment Permit holder whose family has been granted family reunification. It works differently from the graduate version: it is renewed every year and it is not tied to a degree. We explain who qualifies in Can my spouse work in Ireland if I hold a Critical Skills permit?
What comes after Stamp 1G
Most graduates move from Stamp 1G to an employment permit. For a recent graduate, DETE sets lower salary floors than the standard ones. These are the figures on the DETE pages on 1 October 2026:
| Permit | Recent-graduate minimum annual pay | Graduate condition on the DETE page |
|---|---|---|
| Critical Skills Employment Permit | €36,848 (DETE's minimum annual remuneration table lists €36,849) | Qualification received in the 12 months before the permit application |
| General Employment Permit | €34,009 | Relevant degree from an Irish third-level college in the previous 12 months |
The Critical Skills route also needs a job offer of at least two years in an occupation on the Critical Skills list, and the General route usually needs a Labour Market Needs Test. The step-by-step plan for using your remaining months is in Stamp 1G to Work Permit: What to Do Before Time Runs Out.
Because the graduate salary floors depend on how recently you qualified, the timing of a job offer matters. DETE counts the 12 months from the date you received your qualification (for the General Employment Permit, the date the degree was issued) to the date of the permit application. Once more than 12 months have passed, the graduate rate no longer applies, and you should plan for the standard threshold. Check the date on your award letter or parchment before you accept an offer.
Frequently asked questions
Can I work full time on Stamp 1G?
Yes. The Third Level Graduate Programme rules allow full-time work in line with employment law, and Stamp 1G holders do not need an employment permit. You cannot be self-employed or run your own business.
Is Stamp 1G 12 months or 24 months?
It is up to 12 months after a Level 8 award and up to 24 months after a Level 9 or higher award. The 24 months are granted as 12 months plus a renewal, and the renewal depends on showing that you searched for graduate-level work. Both periods are cut short if you would otherwise pass the overall limit of seven or eight years in Ireland as a student and graduate.
Can I get Stamp 1G twice?
You can enter the programme on two separate occasions at most. The rules allow this where you first used it after a Level 8 award and later achieve a Level 9 or higher award, subject to the overall eight-year limit.
What happens when my Stamp 1G expires?
To keep working, you need a job that qualifies for an employment permit, and you or your employer need to apply to DETE before your permission ends. If you have not found that job, check your options with ISD in good time, because the programme does not allow applications from people whose permission has lapsed.
Where this information comes from
- Third Level Graduate Programme: Immigration Rules for Non-EEA students (ISD, 2017 revision, references updated August 2023)
- Immigration permission and stamps (ISD)
- Spouses and partners of General Employment Permit and Intra-Corporate Transferee permit holders (ISD notice, 15 May 2024)
- Critical Skills Employment Permit (DETE)
- General Employment Permit (DETE)
- Minimum annual remuneration thresholds (DETE)
- Renewing your registration permission if you live in Ireland (ISD)
- Third Level Graduate Programme (ISD)
Checked on 1 October 2026.
If you are on Stamp 1G now, or will be soon, the useful next step is to put your expiry date, your occupation and your target salary side by side. Plan your move from Stamp 1G to get a route direction for your occupation and a 30, 60 and 90-day plan built around the date your permission ends.