Companies Offering Visa Sponsorship in Ireland for Software Engineers (2026)

Ireland is the European headquarters for many of the world’s largest tech companies, and that means a concentration of engineering roles that require international hiring. Google, Stripe, and HubSpot all sponsor work permits for software engineers, and the Critical Skills Employment Permit makes the process relatively smooth. If you want to work at a major US tech company within the EU, Dublin is one of the most direct routes.

Why Ireland?

• High salaries at top companies: Senior software engineers in Ireland typically earn between €80,000 and €135,000 in base salary. At FAANG-level companies, total compensation regularly exceeds €150,000 when equity is included. €100k+ roles are common at the top end. Browse current openings at nextleveljobs.eu/country/ie.
• Global tech HQ concentration: Dublin hosts European headquarters for Google, Meta, Apple, HubSpot, Salesforce, and many others. These are not just sales offices — they run real product and infrastructure engineering.
• English-speaking EU member: Ireland is the only English-speaking country in the eurozone. No language barrier for work, and no currency conversion versus other EU countries.
• EU work rights: After 21 months on a Critical Skills Employment Permit, you can apply for Stamp 4 permission, which lets you work for any employer in Ireland without a permit. After five years of residence, you can apply for citizenship.

What Is the Critical Skills Employment Permit and How Does It Work?

The Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) is Ireland’s primary work permit for highly skilled non-EU workers. Software engineering roles are on Ireland’s Critical Skills Occupations List, which means the salary threshold is €40,904 per year from 1 March 2026 (previously €38,000) for qualifying occupations. For occupations not on the list, the threshold is €68,911.

In practice, most software engineering roles at the companies listed below pay well above these thresholds. Your employer submits the application to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. You need a job offer of at least two years, a relevant degree (or equivalent experience), and the employer must be registered in Ireland. Processing typically takes 4–8 weeks.

The permit is granted for two years. After that, you can apply for Stamp 4, which removes the requirement for an employment permit entirely. For full details, see the official Department of Enterprise page on the Critical Skills Employment Permit.

16 Companies That Sponsor Visas in Ireland

Google

Google employs thousands of engineers in Dublin, with teams working on core products including Ads, Cloud, and Search. They sponsor Critical Skills Employment Permits and hire across backend, infrastructure, SRE, and machine learning. Senior engineers report total comp of €130k–€190k on levels.fyi.

Stripe

Stripe was co-founded by Irish brothers and has a major Dublin engineering hub. They sponsor employment permits and hire for payments infrastructure, backend, security, and developer platform engineering. Senior engineers report total comp of €130k–€175k on levels.fyi.

HubSpot

HubSpot has its European headquarters and a significant engineering team in Dublin. They sponsor permits and hire for backend, frontend, platform, and data engineering roles.

Meta

Meta operates a European engineering hub in Dublin’s Docklands. They sponsor employment permits for engineers working on infrastructure, privacy, integrity, and product engineering. Senior engineers report total comp of €145k–€200k on levels.fyi.

Apple

Apple has operations in Cork and Dublin, including engineering teams working on Maps, Siri, and services infrastructure. They sponsor employment permits for qualified engineers.

Intercom

An Irish-founded customer messaging platform with engineering based in Dublin. Intercom sponsors permits and hires for backend, full-stack, ML, and platform engineering.

MongoDB

The database company has a Dublin engineering office. They sponsor employment permits and hire for database internals, cloud platform, distributed systems, and developer tools engineering.

Workday

Workday has its European headquarters in Dublin with a large engineering team. They sponsor permits and hire for backend, cloud platform, data engineering, and ML roles.

Salesforce

Salesforce has a significant Dublin presence with engineering teams. They sponsor employment permits and hire for platform, backend, and cloud infrastructure engineering.

Amazon / AWS

Amazon has operations in Dublin with engineering teams working on AWS services and retail technology. They sponsor employment permits for software development, cloud infrastructure, and operations engineering.

Indeed

The job search company has its international headquarters in Dublin with a substantial engineering team. They sponsor permits and hire for search, backend, data, and ML engineering.

Microsoft

Microsoft has its European operations centre in Dublin with engineering teams across Azure, Office 365, and LinkedIn. They sponsor employment permits for software engineering and cloud infrastructure roles.

Twilio

The communications platform has a Dublin engineering office. Twilio sponsors employment permits and hires for backend, communications infrastructure, and API development.

Zendesk

Zendesk has a Dublin engineering office and sponsors employment permits. They hire for backend, frontend, data, and platform engineering.

Poppulo

An Irish-founded enterprise communications company headquartered in Cork. Poppulo sponsors employment permits and hires for full-stack, backend, and cloud engineering.

Squarespace

The website building platform has a Dublin engineering office. Squarespace sponsors employment permits and hires for backend, frontend, and infrastructure engineering.

How to Apply

1. Find the role: Browse companies in Ireland that sponsor work visas on their careers pages, or use nextleveljobs.eu/country/ie to find €100k+ roles at companies that hire internationally.
2. Apply directly: Submit your application through the company’s careers page. English is the working language, so no translation is needed.
3. Interview: Most companies run 3–5 rounds. Expect a technical phone screen, coding exercise, system design interview, and team fit conversations. Remote interviews are standard.
4. Receive your offer: The offer will confirm sponsorship. Your employer then applies for the Critical Skills Employment Permit on your behalf.
5. Permit application: The employer submits the application to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. You will need your degree certificates, job contract, and passport. Processing takes 4–8 weeks.
6. Relocate: Once approved, you receive your permit and travel to Ireland. You register with Irish immigration (GNIB/IRP) after arrival and receive your residence card.

Tips to Increase Your Chances

• Tailor your CV to a European format: Keep it concise — two pages maximum. Prioritise relevant technical experience and measurable outcomes.
• Highlight remote or cross-team experience: Dublin offices often collaborate with US headquarters. Showing you can work effectively across locations and time zones is a strong signal.
• Mention permit readiness in your cover letter: A brief note that you are aware of the Critical Skills Employment Permit process and ready to relocate shows you have done your homework.
• Target companies with established Irish engineering teams: Companies with large Dublin offices are more practised at sponsoring permits and have dedicated immigration teams. The process is smoother.
• Use job boards that filter by sponsorship: Save time by using boards like Next Level Jobs EU that focus on companies known to hire internationally, so you are not guessing which employers will sponsor.

Ireland’s combination of English-speaking environment, FAANG headquarters, and a clear path from work permit to permanent residency makes it one of the strongest options for software engineers seeking visa sponsorship in Europe. Browse open roles at companies that hire internationally in Ireland at nextleveljobs.eu/country/ie.