Immigration and the Recession

[Ohoopee]

Hello, I was wondering if the Recession has had an affect on Work Permits in Ireland. Are they harder to get now than they were this time last year? I have been living and working in Ireland for over a year on a work permit. I have been working as a Pastry Chef at a Major Hotel. Recently, I was invited to come in and apply for the Sous Chef Position at a new restaurant. I received word today that the job is mine if I want it. I still have a little less than a year left on my current visa with my current employer. However, this Sous Chef job pays more money and is a great oppurtinity for me. Having said that, I have been working on building my self a life here in Ireland and have a girlfriend and I really want to stay. The new restaurant has offered to take care of my visa for me but, I am worried what will happen if my new visa is denied. This time last year I wouldn't have worried about it but with the way things have happened with the economy this year, I am afraid of losing my current visa if I apply for another one and it is denied. So, have Visa Regulations gotten stricter in this past year? Since I was granted a work permit over a year ago, what are the odds that this visa will be denied?

Also, I have been told that once I have been in the country for over a year which I have, if I change jobs the visa process will be slightly different. Since this is a new restaurant, they don't have any experiance with work permits. So I was wondering what would need to be done different this time comparied to my first visa application. Is the application fee 1000 Euros still the same?

Thank you.