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Third Level Graduate Programme (Stamp 1G): how long it takes, what it costs, and whether it leads to permanent residence
Post-study work
Residence permission, recorded as Stamp 1G on an IRP card, for legally resident non-EEA graduates who hold a Level 8 or Level 9 award from a recognised Irish awarding body. It is a stamp (a permission condition), not a visa and not an employment permit. ISD: the purpose is to seek graduate-level employment and then apply for a general employment permit, a Critical Skills Employment Permit, or a research hosting agreement. Level 8: twelve months, subject to a seven-year aggregate cap on Stamp 2 plus Stamp 1G. Level 9 or above: twelve months initially, renewable for a further twelve months (eight-year student-condition cap) if the graduate shows steps toward graduate-level work. Holders may work full time and are exempt from holding an employment permit, but may not operate a business or be self-employed. Apply while holding current Stamp 2, within six months of written notification of the award. This is not a settlement route.
Source: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration · verified 2026-08-15
We tell you when we re-read a route you follow, in the note from that check, with the official link.
Does Third Level Graduate Programme (Stamp 1G) lead to permanent residence?
- Residency
Temporary — not a permanent-residence route on its own
Source: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration · verified 2026-08-15
Do you need a job offer for Third Level Graduate Programme (Stamp 1G)?
- Job offer
Not stated
The verified record does not state whether a job offer is required. Absence of the field is not a no — check the official source below.
Source: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration · verified 2026-08-15
How much does Third Level Graduate Programme (Stamp 1G) cost to apply for?
- Application fee
EUR 300
IRP registration fee only: ISD Third Level Graduate Programme page, “You must pay a fee of €300 per person to register.” The same €300 appears on the ISD registration fee table for Stamp 1G. This is not a visa fee and not an employment-permit fee. There is no employment-permit charge for this permission.
Source: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration · verified 2026-08-15
How long does Third Level Graduate Programme (Stamp 1G) take to process?
- Processing time
No duration published; the authority points to a guidance tool
Open the authority's page for this fact
Source: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration · verified 2026-08-15
What does Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration actually require?
Quoted from the pages named beside each rule, not paraphrased.
- Education
Bachelor's degree
ISD: “legally resident Irish educated non-EEA graduates who hold a level 8 or level 9 award from a recognised Irish awarding body.” Level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications is the honours-bachelor track stored as minEducation bachelor. A Level 9 award is also eligible and can attract the longer permission.
Source: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration · verified 2026-08-15
What Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration does not publish
We checked for each of these and the page carried no figure. The absence is recorded with the reason, so this page states nothing the authority does not.
Processing time
ISD renewals page opened 2026-08-15 publishes a queue, not a duration: “See below table for submission date of applications currently being processed by stamp category.” Stamp 1G: 12/05/26. “Submission Dates are updated weekly.” After processing, “it may take up to a further 15 business days to receive the new approved IRP card by post.” Old 1–2 month range deleted.
Source: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration · verified 2026-08-15
What changed when we last checked this record
ISD Third Level Graduate Programme page opened 2026-08-15. Stamp 1G is defined on the stamps page as a permission condition on the IRP card. Old data stored this as if it were a visa (homepage officialSourceUrl, USD 300 “visa” fee, 1–2 month processing, 24-month PR pathway). The 24-month figure is the Level 9 duration of this temporary permission, not a path to permanent residence. LTR page lists “Student – Stamp 2 or Stamp 2A or Stamp 1G (student graduate conditions)” among stamps that do not count toward Long Term Residency.
Source: Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration · verified 2026-08-15
Other verified Ireland routes
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Official sources
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