To hire a nurse from overseas into Ireland, three things must be in place before a start date: registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI), an employment permit if the nurse comes from outside the EEA, and a salary that meets the permit threshold. Pay is where private providers get caught. Since 1 March 2026 the Critical Skills minimum for a role with a relevant degree is €40,904, and only employers linked to public pay scales are exempt, according to the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment's Roadmap Review 2025.
Why international nurse recruitment still matters in Ireland
Ireland's register reached a record high in 2025 and still depends on nurses who trained abroad. NMBI's State of the Register counted 92,385 nurses and midwives at 1 June 2025. Of 5,136 new registrants, 1,649 were educated in Ireland, so roughly two in three trained elsewhere.
NMBI registration: recognition first, then registration
NMBI handles nurses who qualified outside Ireland in two steps: recognition of the qualification, then registration. It sorts applicants into three groups with different document requirements. Its page publishes no processing times (as of October 2026), so ask NMBI which group your candidate is in, what it needs from them and how long decisions are taking.
The permit route and the salary threshold problem
The Department's Roadmap Review 2025 deals with nurse recruitment under the Critical Skills Employment Permit. The minimum for a role with a relevant degree rose from €38,000 to €40,904 on 1 March 2026.
The review records that the HSE nurse recruitment salary was €40,267 in September 2025, below the new floor. Its answer was an exemption: Critical Skills roles with a relevant degree that are paid under the public sector pay deal, including linked community and voluntary bodies, do not have to meet the threshold. A private hospital or nursing home with no link to public pay scales gets no exemption and has to offer at least €40,904.
That is the figure as of October 2026. The review lists the January 2027 thresholds as still to be determined after annual review and indexation, and the Department said on 2 December 2025 that indexation follows CSO earnings data, so budget for the floor to move and check with the Department before each offer. Nursing homes should also check the 50:50 rule on staff from outside the EEA, which a BDO and NHI sector report of 28 July 2025 called a particular barrier to recruitment. Mason Hayes & Curran reports that the Government has approved a proposal to amend it.
A realistic sequence of steps to hire overseas nurses
FH recommends treating registration and the permit as one plan with one named owner, in this order:
- Confirm the role, the salary and whether your pay is linked to public scales. If it is not, the offer must meet the threshold in force when you apply.
- Check your source countries against the current WHO safeguards list before active recruitment.
- Interview, select and make a written offer that states salary, hours and the costs you will cover.
- Support the nurse through NMBI recognition, then registration.
- Apply to the Department for the employment permit, and arrange a visa where one is needed.
- Prepare for arrival: accommodation, induction and a named contact.
Ask NMBI and the Department which documents each needs from the other, because that settles the exact order. Do not promise a ward a start date until registration and the permit are both in hand. Start on housing early: 73% of organisations in CIPD Ireland's HR Practices in Ireland 2026 report (May 2026) said the housing crisis has made recruitment harder.
Ethical recruitment: the employer pays, the nurse never does
The WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel, adopted in 2010, sets voluntary principles for ethical recruitment, and the Department of Health said on 28 October 2024 that its planned nursing and midwifery agreement with Kenya would adhere to them. For an employer, three rules follow:
- The nurse never pays a fee. A Migrant Rights Centre Ireland survey of 1,019 permit holders, closed on 25 February 2026, found 35% had paid a recruitment fee: 20% to an agency and 15% to their employer. The average was €5,476. MRCI notes that agencies are not allowed to charge such fees.
- Respect the safeguards list. The Journal reported on 5 May 2023 that HSE recruitment suppliers stopped active recruitment in countries added to the WHO list on 8 March 2023. The list changes, so check the current version.
- Use a licensed agency. The Workplace Relations Commission states that an employment agency must hold a licence to carry on business.
FH's position is the same: the employer pays for recruitment, and the nurse never pays a fee.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Confirm current rules with NMBI, the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment or a qualified adviser.
Sources
Checked in October 2026.
- NMBI: State of the Register 2025; registration guidance for overseas applicants
- Medical Independent, 16 January 2026
- Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Roadmap Review 2025; announcement of 2 December 2025
- BDO and NHI sector report, 28 July 2025
- Mason Hayes & Curran, 2026 employment permit and immigration update
- CIPD Ireland, HR Practices in Ireland 2026 (May 2026)
- WHO Global Code of Practice, resolution WHA63.16 (2010)
- Department of Health press release, 28 October 2024
- Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, Tied to Exploitation (2026)
- The Journal, 5 May 2023
- Workplace Relations Commission, employment agency licensing
Hiring, or thinking about a move?
Talk to the person who would run your search.
