Ireland granted Indian nationals the highest percentage of work permits approximately 40 percent according to figures released by the Irish Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment for the first three months of 2023.
Between January 1 and March 31, a total of 7,264 work permits were granted to nationals of other countries, out of which 2,894 went to Indian citizens.
2,525 of these permits were given in January alone, out of which 1,059 or nearly half went to citizens of India. Brazil and the Philippines occupied the second and third positions, with 734 and 663 permits issued to its nationals respectively.
Out of the 494 applications that were rejected, India accounted for 113, followed by Brazil with 80. The data showed that a total of 165 applications were withdrawn before a decision was taken on them.
The sector with the greatest need for workers-----health and social work activities received the most visas (2,428), followed by information and communication activities (1,095).
Only people from nations outside the EEA (the EU plus Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein), Switzerland, and the UK require authorization to live and work in Ireland.
Ireland, which has a population of five million people is experiencing a labour shortage and looking at foreign workers to fill up gaps in important sectors.
