A CSEP is granted for two years and upon completing 21 months of work/residence in Ireland pursuant to the CSEP, the holder will be eligible to apply for a Stamp 4 which means that they can live and work in Ireland for any employer in any role without a separate Employment Permit being required.

Up to now the Stamp 4 application process involved 2 distinct stages, namely:

1. Apply for and secure a Letter of Support from the DETE.
2. Upon the issue of the Letter of Support, apply to ISD for a Stamp 4 IRP card.

In order to obtain stamp 4 permission on or after the 30 November 2023 the applicant will not be required to apply to DETE for a Stamp 4 Support Letter. Instead the applicant can skip Step 1 above and proceed straight to an application for their Stamp 4 IRP card.

The Stamp 4 application process will therefore only involve one step from that point on.

ISD will continue to accept support letters that are issued prior to 30 November 2023. However, after the said date, individuals will be required to provide the following documents in support of an application to register a Stamp 4 immigration permission:

1. A copy of the biometric page of current valid passport(s).
2. A copy of the front and back of current IRP card.
3. Copies of the relevant Employment Permit/s or Hosting Agreement/s issued by the DETE.
4. A copy of the most recent payslip.
5. A letter from the employer/s, dated within the last 3 months, confirming the job title, location of employment, and dates of employment.
6. Copies of ‘Employment Detail Summaries’ issued for each year of employment covering the duration of the Employment Permit/s, available on www.revenue.ie/myaccount

It is important to note that applicants are required to complete a minimum 21 months under a Stamp 1 on the basis of their CSEP before applying for their Stamp 4.

The method by which one can apply for their Stamp 4 depends on where they live in Ireland. Applicants residing within the Greater Dublin Region can apply through their ISD Online Account whereas applicants residing outside of the Dublin Region will need to book an appointment with their local immigration office. Applications are accepted up to 12 weeks prior to expiry of their current IRP card.

The above changes will also apply to Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors (NCHDs) and Multi-Site General Employment Permit (GEP) holders.

Full details of the notice can be found here: https://www.irishimmigration.ie/notice-regarding-stamp-4-support-letters-issued-by-the-dept-of-enterprise-trade-and-employment/