VAT, Tax And PermitsIreland

Hiring From Abroad Slows As The Government Permit Site Shuts

The Employment Permit Online System is down until 3 November. Applications in progress stay valid, and late filings will get some flexibility.

Ireland

In Short

  • The government's Employment Permit Online System is offline after a suspected data breach.
  • The Department of Enterprise expects the service to return on Tuesday 3 November.
  • Applications already submitted will still be processed and decided as normal.
  • Applications that run past the usual 28-day submission period during the outage will be kept.

The online system that employers use to apply for work permits has been taken offline. The authorities are looking into a suspected data breach.

The Data Protection Commission says it has received a breach notification, which it is now assessing.

The Department of Enterprise says the portal should return on Tuesday 3 November. It has not said how the problem was found, what data may be affected or how many people are involved.

A notice on its website says applications already sent in will keep moving and decisions will be issued as normal. Saved drafts and applications waiting for payment will still be there when the portal is back.

The department also says applications that go past the normal 28-day period during the outage will be kept. It promises that future applicants will not be put at a disadvantage and that appropriate flexibility will apply.

What Does This Mean For Your Restaurant?

If you are hiring a cook or a server from outside the EU, expect a short delay and check your draft application once the portal returns. Keep your dates written down, so you can show that you filed on time.

Sources

This story summarises the articles below. Read them for the full details.

  1. RTÉ News · rte.ie