The Department of Justice and Equality announced on 4th September the launch of an online application process for the Atypical Working Scheme (AWS).
Since March 2020, the AWS unit has processed over 700 applications from front line doctors and nurses, as well as from workers in other key sectors of the economy.
The Atypical Worker Scheme is administered by the Department of Justice (Immigration Service Delivery), in agreement with the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation. It provides a streamlined mechanism to deal with atypical, short-term employment and certain other employment situations which are not governed by the Employment Permits Acts or by current administrative procedures under the Employment Permits Acts.
The scheme applies to non-EEA nationals who are required by a company or organisation based in Ireland to undertake work in certain circumstances. The Department released the following breakdown of applications granted and refused in 2019:
Applications approved and refused in 2019
| Occupation | Approved | Refused |
| Nurses (RCSI/Clinical Adaptation) | 1,837 | 68 |
| Locum GPs | 142 | 6 |
| Locum Hospital Doctors | 19 | <5 |
| Gulf Doctors | 44 | <5 |
| General | 1,144 | 97 |
| Seafarers (new) | 82 | 7 |
| Seafarers (renewal) | 145 | 24 |
| Total | 3,413 | 205 |
Applications for the AWS can be submitted online at: https://inisonline.jahs.ie
For more information on the Atypical Working Scheme, see: Employment Visa (Atypical Working Scheme)
For more information on the recent digitalisation of immigration services, see;
New online registration renewal system expanded to include all Dublin-based non-nationals
