China is the fourth largest nationality in Ireland's published employment permit statistics.
The Chinese corridor is substantial and has been narrowing in the most recent published periods. A falling count can mean several things, and the published statistics do not say which: they record permits decided, not applications made, roles advertised, or interest in moving. This page shows the figures and the period they cover, and stops where the source stops.
Employment permits issued to and refused for Chinese nationals, as the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment published them. Part years are labelled, because a part year read as a full one understates a corridor.
| Year | Issued | Refused | Approval | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026part yearJanuary–July 2026 | 1,312 | 186 | 87.6% | 5.7% |
| 2025 | 1,922 | 215 | 89.9% | 6.2% |
| 2024 | 1,962 | 91 | 95.6% | 5.0% |
| 2023 | 1,488 | 61 | 96.1% | 4.8% |
| 2022 | 1,497 | 127 | 92.2% | 3.8% |
See the full 2026 permit data for every nationality, sector, county and employer in the same release.
DETE publishes nationality and sector as two separate tables and never crosses them, so there is no published breakdown of sectors for any one country. This is the national picture the corridor sits inside.
| Sector | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Health & Social Work Activities | 6,351 | 27.7% |
| All Other Manufacturing | 2,514 | 11.0% |
| Accommodation & Food Services Activities | 2,340 | 10.2% |
| Information & Communication Activities | 2,300 | 10.0% |
| Other Service Activities | 1,675 | 7.3% |
| Construction | 1,564 | 6.8% |
A permit issued in a sector records an employer who hired for a role there in the past. It is not a vacancy, and it does not indicate current or future hiring. Read the sector hubs for the occupations each one recruits into.
Two decisions sit between an offer and a start date, and they are made by different bodies on different criteria. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment decides the employment permit against the job. Immigration Service Delivery decides permission to enter and remain. Neither decision guarantees the other, and the sequence matters more than most timelines published online suggest.
Step one
The Critical Skills and Ineligible lists decide which route an offer can take, and they are revised by statutory instrument.
Check an occupation against the listsStep two
A permit names one employer, one employee and one job. Employers that have held permits before are a matter of public record.
Browse employers with permit historyStep three
Regulated professions register with their own body, and NARIC Ireland compares a foreign award to the Irish framework. Neither is part of the permit decision.
See the bodies by sectorStep four
Two departments decide them, on different criteria, and neither outcome produces the other.
Look up the termsThe two routes most hires run on are set apart by seven rules. Compare the General Employment Permit and the Critical Skills Employment Permit side by side.
The same published record, read for another country.
India is the largest single nationality in Ireland's published employment permit statistics, by a wide margin.
The Philippines is consistently among the two largest nationalities in Ireland's published permit statistics.
Brazil is one of the three largest corridors in Ireland's published employment permit statistics.
The corridor figures describe everyone. The lists decide your route. Check where your occupation sits on the published Critical Skills and Ineligible lists before anything else.
Permit statistics by nationality and by sector: DETE employment permit statistics (Year to date: January–July 2026). Nationality is the label DETE publishes and is not a statement about residence.
Entry visa position: Immigration Service Delivery visa required and non visa required nationalities, last updated March 14, 2025.
No figure on this page comes from IrishTalents candidate records. Every count is a published government statistic.
Figures are historical issued-permit records showing past activity only. They do not prove current hiring, future sponsorship, role eligibility, or approval.
An occupation (SOC) code classifies the kind of work. It does not by itself determine permit eligibility, Critical Skills status, or sponsorship. Job duties, salary, employer and permit route also matter.
IrishTalents is not a licensed employment agency and does not select or submit candidates. Any agency information reflects the wording found on agency websites only, not vacancies, sponsorship, or suitability.
This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. IrishTalents is not affiliated with the Irish government.
