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The short answer
Stamp 1G lets you work full time in Ireland without an employment permit, but Immigration Service Delivery says you are "not permitted to operate a business or be self-employed". It is given to eligible graduates and to spouses and partners of Critical Skills permit holders and hosted researchers. Welfare payments are a separate question, decided by the Department of Social Protection on tests such as the Habitual Residence Condition and the conditions of your permission.
For many Nigerians, Stamp 1G is the bridge between a degree and a career in Ireland, or the permission that lets a spouse work while their partner holds a Critical Skills permit. It is generous on employment and strict on self-employment, and it says little about welfare. Those three points cause most of the confusion.
Who holds Stamp 1G
Immigration Service Delivery's stamps page (updated 5 June 2026) describes two main groups:
- Graduates of eligible Irish programmes, who may work full time while looking for, or working in, graduate employment.
- Spouses and de facto partners of Critical Skills Employment Permit holders and hosted researchers, who may work without an employment permit.
What you can and cannot do
| Activity | Stamp 1G position (ISD) |
|---|---|
| Full-time employment | Allowed, without an employment permit |
| More than one employer | Not restricted by the stamp itself; you are an employee in each |
| Running a business | Not permitted |
| Self-employment or freelancing | Not permitted |
The self-employment rule catches people who take on side work for clients in Nigeria. Invoicing a client as a sole trader is self-employment, even if the work is done in the evenings. The detail is in running a business on Stamp 1G or Stamp 2.
Moving on from Stamp 1G
Graduates on 1G commonly move to an employment permit once they find a qualifying job. enterprise.gov.ie says a Critical Skills Employment Permit ties you to a named employer and occupation, and its holders can apply to the Department of Justice for Stamp 4 permission, which runs for two years and is renewable. Plan the timing: the 1G period is limited, and a permit application takes time.
Benefits: what decides it
The stamps page sets out work rights; it does not list welfare entitlements. Welfare is assessed by the Department of Social Protection. For many payments, including Child Benefit, the Department says you must meet the Habitual Residence Condition, and that the condition applies regardless of nationality.
- Child Benefit: €140 a month per child if you qualify (gov.ie, updated 7 October 2025). See Child Benefit as a new arrival.
- Jobseeker's payments: whether you qualify depends on PRSI contributions, residence and your permission's conditions; see Jobseeker's Benefit on a work permit.
- Housing supports: assessed by local authorities, and your permission type matters.
Common situations
A graduate with a side business
Chidi finished a master's in Dublin and holds Stamp 1G. He works full time for a software company and wants to build websites for small businesses in Lagos at weekends, invoicing them himself. On the ISD wording, that is self-employment, which Stamp 1G does not permit. Being paid as an employee of a company, under a contract of employment, is different from invoicing as a sole trader. If the opportunity is serious, the route is to change permission first, not to start and hope.
A spouse joining a Critical Skills holder
Ngozi joins her husband, who holds a Critical Skills Employment Permit, and receives Stamp 1G as his spouse. ISD says she can work without an employment permit, so she can accept a job offer directly. She cannot open a salon or trade as a self-employed hairdresser on 1G. Her husband's route to Stamp 4 may change her options later; check the current rules for family members when he applies.
Between jobs
For a 1G graduate who loses a job, the expiry date on the IRP card does not move, so the time left to find graduate employment keeps running. That is the moment people ask about jobseeker's payments, and the answer depends on contributions and residence tests, not on the stamp alone.
Tax and pay on 1G
You are taxed like any employee. Give your PPSN to your employer and add the job in Revenue myAccount under 'PAYE Services'; Revenue says employers apply emergency tax where the PPSN is missing or the job is not registered, and refund overpaid tax through payroll once a cumulative Revenue Payroll Notification arrives.
What to check first
- The expiry date on your IRP card and the conditions on your permission letter.
- Whether any side income you have counts as self-employment.
- Your route to an employment permit or Stamp 4, and its timing.
- Whether you meet the Habitual Residence Condition before claiming a payment.
Where Pryme fits
If you support family in Nigeria from a 1G salary, a Pryme account holds euro and naira and Send pays Nigerian bank accounts; the app shows the rate and the fee before you approve.
Questions people ask
Can I work full time on Stamp 1G?
Yes. Immigration Service Delivery says Stamp 1G holders can work full time without an employment permit.
Can I be self-employed on Stamp 1G?
No. ISD says Stamp 1G holders are not permitted to operate a business or be self-employed.
Can I claim Child Benefit on Stamp 1G?
Child Benefit depends on the Habitual Residence Condition, which applies regardless of nationality. Check your permission's conditions and ask the Department.
Can a Critical Skills spouse work in Ireland?
ISD says spouses and partners of Critical Skills permit holders on Stamp 1G can work without a permit, but not run a business.
Sources
- Immigration Service Delivery: Immigration permission stamps (updated 5 Jun 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- enterprise.gov.ie: Critical Skills Employment Permit · accessed Oct 2026
- gov.ie: Child Benefit, Department of Social Protection (updated 7 Oct 2025) · accessed Oct 2026
- Revenue: How to stop paying Emergency Tax (published 24 Feb 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.