Residence and Work Permit Approvals Delayed

Residence permit applicants should expect delayed approvals due to the following issues at the Foreigners’ Office of Immigration, which issues residence permits:

The Assistant Director of the Foreigners’ Office of Immigration is on temporary leave until May 10, 2016;
Recent staffing changes; and
An ongoing internal audit.

Work permit applicants should expect delayed approvals due to changes to the internal operations system at the Ministry of Labor, which issues work permits.

Additionally, new work permit rule interpretations are expected at the Ministry of Labor as a new Chief of the Work Permit Department was appointed at the end of February.

What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals

Employers should account for potential delayed start dates.

Residence and work permit applicants should work with their immigration professionals to submit their applications as soon as possible to account for delays at both government offices.

Fragomen will report on any new rule interpretations as information becomes available.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].

We have dedicated extensive resources to monitoring immigration regulatory developments and policy changes as they evolve worldwide.