How can a chef apply for permanent residence after working legally in Ireland for 4 years?

You need a work permit to hold a China passport, then apply for a work visa when you return to China, then renew your work permit in Ireland, and then renew your work visa at the Immigration Bureau. After five years, there is no need for a work permit and no need to renew a work visa.

You can apply for permanent residence and then apply for Irish citizenship (note that five years is the cumulative time on a five-year work visa, but it may actually be six years, because according to past experience, each visa may be delayed for a while).

Extended data:

Rights:

Permanent residents and citizens enjoy roughly the same rights, except the following rights:

(1) The right to vote for public officials (allowed in some countries).

(2) Being a civil servant (unusual).

(3) Holding positions involving national security.

(4) Holding a passport of that country.

(5) protected by the consulate (allowed by some countries).

Obligation:

Permanent residents sometimes need to meet certain conditions to obtain nationality. The most common ones are the length of residence in the country with permanent residency and the industry or business engaged in.

Some countries require permanent residents to perform military service. Singapore stipulates that all male residents over the age of 18, including permanent residents and citizens, must perform military service for two years. After that, I will participate in military camp training every year and be on call until I am 40 years old.

In the United States, all male citizens and permanent residents aged 18 to 26 must be registered on the military call-up list. Interestingly, this law even applies to illegal residents. People who do not meet the requirements may be denied permanent resident status.

Baidu encyclopedia-permanent residency