At a Glance
- Starting January 11, 2025, employers seeking to hire EU Blue Card or quota-subject work permit applicants (i.e., local hires) will need to complete an additional step once the work permit is approved for the work permit to be issued.
- Specifically, once a work permit is approved, the Visa Information System that receives the worker's visa application will send a notification to the Immigration Office before processing it. This will transmit a request to the employer via certified email requesting confirmation of their interest in the work permit within seven calendar days.
- If the employer fails to provide this confirmation, the authorization request will be deemed rejected, and the work permit will be revoked.
The situation
Starting January 11, 2025, employers seeking to hire EU Blue Card or quota-subject work permit applicants (i.e., local hires) will need to complete an additional step once the work permit is approved for the work permit to be issued.
A closer look
- Once a work permit is approved, the Visa Information System that receives the worker's visa application will send a notification to the Immigration Office before processing it.
- This will transmit a request to the employer via certified email requesting confirmation of their interest in hiring the foreign worker.
- The employer must then confirm their interest in hiring the foreign worker via certified email within seven calendar days.
- If the employer fails to provide this confirmation, the authorization request will be deemed rejected, and the work permit application will be revoked.
Background
The government is implementing this step to add digitalization features to the work permit process, and to avoid the growing issue of employees applying for work permits where the employer does not intend to hire the employee.
Impact
This should not add any time to the overall processing time of affected work permit applicants, unless the employer does not complete the step.
Looking ahead
This requirement is likely to apply to other work permit types in the future. We will report on related developments.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.