Ireland still gives 2 years of work after a master’s. Dublin rent is the hard part

Stamp 1G under Ireland’s Third Level Graduate Programme is 12 months after an honours bachelor’s degree, and up to 24 months after a master’s. The 24 months is given as 12 months first, then another 12 if you show you have been looking for graduate work. You can work full-time. You cannot run your own business. After that, a Critical Skills Employment Permit is the usual way to stay, if the salary and job type qualify. Against a shrinking UK Graduate Route, that two-year master’s grant is why Dublin is back on Maharashtra shortlists.

The student complaint is consistent: the course was fine, the rent was not. Dublin’s housing shortage is not a blog joke. A university room and an early contract are part of the visa plan. Cork and Galway are cheaper pressure valves.

What this means: Google, Meta, Apple, Microsoft, LinkedIn and a large pharma corridor still hire. EU graduates who need no permit are the silent competition. A one-year master’s that does not map to Critical Skills can become a very expensive internship in the rain.