Stamp 1G Ireland 2026: Graduate & Spouse Routes Explained

Stamp 1G is really two permissions sharing one label. One is the Third Level Graduate Programme — it lets non-EEA graduates of Irish colleges stay on to find graduate-level work. The other is for the spouse or de-facto partner of a Critical Skills permit holder or researcher, letting them work here without their own permit. Both let you work without an employment permit, both forbid self-employment, and both count toward citizenship — but they have different durations and different routes to Stamp 4.

The 60-second version:

1. Graduate route — you’ve just finished an Irish degree on Stamp 2 and want to look for work. Level 8 award: 12 months. Level 9+ (master’s/PhD): up to 24 months.
2. Spouse route — you’re the spouse/de-facto partner of a Critical Skills holder or researcher. You can work without a permit, renewed annually.
3. Neither route lets you run a business or be self-employed — employment only.
4. The path to Stamp 4 differs: graduates must move onto an employment permit (Stamp 1) first; spouses can apply for Stamp 4 after 5 years on Stamp 1G.

Route 1: the Third Level Graduate Programme

This is the one most people mean by “Stamp 1G.” Its purpose, in ISD’s words, is “seeking graduate level employment and applying for a general employment permit, a critical skills employment permit or research hosting agreement.” It’s a bridge from student to worker, not a destination.

To qualify, ISD requires that you:

• Were notified in writing, on or after 1 January 2017, that you achieved your award
• Hold a current Stamp 2 student permission with an up-to-date registration card
• Apply within six months of being notified you achieved the award
• Have not exceeded the seven-year limit on non-EEA student permission

Your award must come from a recognised Irish awarding body — the Irish universities (Trinity, UCD, DCU, TU Dublin, Maynooth, MTU, UCC, University of Galway, UL), the Royal College of Surgeons, the Institutes of Technology, or QQI.

How long you get

Duration depends on your qualification level on the National Framework of Qualifications:

Award level	Typical qualification	Stamp 1G duration
Level 8	Honours bachelor’s degree	12 months (within an overall 7-year student limit)
Level 9 or above	Master’s or PhD	12 months, renewable for a further 12 — up to 24 months total (within an overall 8-year limit)

The second 12 months for Level 9+ graduates isn’t automatic: ISD grants it “where the graduate satisfies the immigration authorities that he or she has taken appropriate steps to access suitable graduate level employment (for example, attendance at job interviews, signing up with graduate employment agencies).” Keep evidence of your job search.

A graduate can access the programme on at most two separate occasions — for example, 12 months after a Level 8 degree, then re-entering for another 12 months after later completing a Level 9.

What you can and can’t do

• You can work full time, in accordance with employment law.
• You can’t operate a business or be self-employed.
• Your other conditions “remain the same as for Stamp 2.”

Documents: a copy of your award, your passport, and medical insurance. The €300 registration fee applies.

When graduate Stamp 1G ends

This route does not renew indefinitely. ISD is explicit: “if you wish to continue working after Stamp 1G expires, you must find a job that requires an employment permit and then follow the usual application process with Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment.” That moves you onto Stamp 1 — and from there onto the Stamp 1 → Stamp 4 path. See finding a job in Ireland if you’re in the search now.

Route 2: spouse or de-facto partner of a Critical Skills holder or researcher

Entirely different population, same stamp. ISD grants Stamp 1G to the spouse or de-facto partner of a Critical Skills Employment Permit holder, or of a researcher in the State on a Hosting Agreement (its required-documents page extends this to the partners of some other permit holders too).

What it gives you:

• Work without your own employment permit — for any employer.
• Study — you’re permitted to take courses in the State.

What it doesn’t:

• No business or self-employment — same restriction as the graduate route.

Renewal is annual, and — the key difference from the graduate route — after 5 years on Stamp 1G you may apply for Stamp 4 directly, without needing to move onto an employment permit first. For a de-facto partner, ISD asks for proof of the continuing relationship (marriage certificate, de-facto visa or preclearance letter, or a de-facto permission letter) at registration, alongside your and your partner’s passports, your partner’s permit, and medical insurance.

Stamp 1G vs Stamp 1 vs Stamp 4

The three that get mixed up most — here’s the honest comparison:

	Stamp 1G (graduate)	Stamp 1G (spouse)	Stamp 1	Stamp 4
Employment permit needed?	No	No	Yes	No
Run a business / self-employ	No	No	Only if specified	Yes
Duration	12–24 months	Annual	Usually 12 months	Specified period
Route to Stamp 4	Via an employment permit (Stamp 1)	After 5 years on 1G	21 months (CSEP) / 57 months (GEP)	—
Counts toward citizenship	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

The path to Stamp 4, by route

Because this is the question the data shows people actually search, stated plainly:

• Graduate Stamp 1G → Stamp 4: not direct. Find permit-eligible employment, move to Stamp 1, then reach Stamp 4 after 21 months (Critical Skills) or 57 months (General Employment). Your graduate 1G time still counts as reckonable residence for citizenship.
• Spouse Stamp 1G → Stamp 4: direct. 5 years on Stamp 1G, then apply for Stamp 4.

Either way, every month on Stamp 1G is reckonable residence toward citizenship — ISD says so explicitly for both routes.

Verification

Verified on 19 July 2026 against primary sources:

• Both Stamp 1G routes, the conditions, the no-self-employment rule, the spouse route’s 5-year path to Stamp 4, and the reckonable-residence point — ISD’s immigration permission/stamps page (last updated 5 June 2026).
• The graduate route: award-level durations (Level 8 vs Level 9+), the six-month application window, the seven/eight-year limits, recognised awarding bodies, documents and the €300 fee — ISD’s Third Level Graduate Programme page (last updated 28 March 2024).
• The spouse-route document list — ISD’s required-documents page (last updated 17 July 2026).

IrishImmigration.ie is the authority and conditions change — check the current pages before an appointment or application. This guide is orientation, not legal advice.