Stamp 1G is the reward for finishing a course in Ireland: it lets you switch from student status into job-seeker status without leaving the country, a real advantage over destinations that force you home to reapply. How long you get depends entirely on what you studied, a detail that’s easy to miss until you’re actually applying.
Current rules:
- Level 8 (an honours bachelor’s degree) gets a single, non-renewable 12-month permission
- Level 9 or above (a master’s or PhD) gets up to 24 months in total, arriving as an initial 12 months followed by one further 12-month renewal, not 24 months upfront
- The renewal is not automatic: you must show the immigration authorities that you’ve been actively job-hunting, through job interview evidence, registration with a graduate recruitment agency, or similar proof
You must apply within six months of your institution formally notifying you of your final result, not from your actual graduation ceremony, which often happens months later. Registration costs around €300, and during the permission you can work full-time up to 40 hours a week, though you cannot be self-employed or run your own business. The scheme can only be used twice in total, and your combined time as a student plus Stamp 1G holder cannot exceed seven years for a Level 8 graduate or eight years for Level 9 and above.
The practical trap is timing: applying before your institution has issued formal completion confirmation, or letting your private medical insurance lapse between visa types, are the two most common reasons graduates lose momentum during this transition. If your financial documentation for the original student visa was borderline, review Ireland Student Visa Financial Proof first, since a clean file makes every subsequent Irish immigration step faster.