The Irish authorities have announced that a number of changes to the terms and conditions of the Atypical Working Scheme have been agreed upon and have stressed that the changes are set to enter into force from January 1, 2023.
According to the Department of Justice of Ireland, starting from January 1, 2023, the salary threshold for the Atypical Working Scheme will be amended from the current National Minimum Wage so it can align with the salary requirement for a General Employment Permit.
This means that employers that intend to make applications to assign workers through the Atypical Working Scheme will be required to ensure that the minimum salary exceeds €30,000.
This particular change aims to minimise any possible distorting consequence of the Atypical Working Scheme on Ireland’s national labour market and allow flexibility for both workers and the company, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The Irish Justice Department has further explained that currently only a single permission under the Atypical Working Scheme can be availed in any period of 12 months. The same emphasised that this period between permission starts on the expiry date of any permission that has been granted and used previously.
However, in line with the rules that will start applying from January 1, 2023, permission under the Atypical Working Scheme will be issued for a period of 90 days, which means that the waiting time will get reduced.
The 90-day period issued under this particular scheme can be used to travel into and out of Ireland for a maximum of 90 days over a six-month period.
Moreover, in line with the new rules that are set to become effective soon, a one-month cooling-off period will apply before the six-month period ends. This means that during the one-month cooling-off period, a new application can be submitted and workers get to enjoy greater flexibility in travel.
“Both of the above proposals apply only to the “general” category of applications for permission under the Scheme (including the entertainment industry, biotech, pharmaceutical, and technology sectors) and will have no impact on applications for permission to enter the State as frontline medical personnel or under other categories of permission available under the Scheme,” the statement of the Department of Justice reads.
The changes mentioned above will apply to all new applications that are received by the Irish authorities after January 1, 2023. In contrast, applications that are received before this period will continue to be assessed under the current criteria.