WORK PERMIT HOLDERS will be allowed to change employer in the future after new laws were passed by the Oireachtas.

The Employment Permits Bill 2022 cleared the final stages of the Oireachtas yesterday and is due to be signed into law by the president.

Once it is enacted, work permit holders will have the right to change employer after a period of nine months have passed.

As things stand, people who come to Ireland on a General Employment Permit must stay with their employer for at least 12 months, unless there are exceptional circumstances. 

After 12 months have passed, a person is entitled to make a new application for a permit and can apply to change employers. Rights groups have long stated that this can lead to exploitation and discrimination of migrant workers, as they are forced to stay in any employment for fear of losing their permit.

Under the new laws, workers will now be able request to change their employer after nine months has passed, without having to start a new application. 

Commenting on the new laws in a statement, Edel McGinley, Director of the Migrant Rights Centre of Ireland, called them “a major victory” for migrant workers.

“The work permit system has for too long tied a person to one employer and as a result they were easily taken advantage of,” she said.

In our experience restricting a person to one employer has been the biggest factor leading to the cases of gross exploitation of migrant workers that we come across.

McGinley called on Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail Emer Higgins to “quickly put in place the new procedures necessary to enable people to change employer”.

“The notification process must be simple and flexible and communicated to all permit holders so that they can avail of this provision if needed,” she said.

This is a real leap forward in terms of worker rights and recognition, and we hope it paves the way for equal rights for all people who come to Ireland for work.”