Azerbaijan: Increased Labor Market Scrutiny for Foreign Worker Permits

The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population has begun reviewing and approving work permit applications, alongside the State Migration Service. Previously, only the State Migration Service conducted such assessments. The Ministry will now assess each applicant’s professional and educational qualifications (the Ministry considers that companies which hire long-term foreign workers should employ a training program so that local workers can eventually take over the roles currently filled by foreign workers). The Ministry – in conjunction with the State Migration Service – will then determine whether equivalent local candidates could be hired in lieu of the foreign national applicant, and if this is the case, the work permit application will likely be rejected. Following this policy change, work permit rejections are expected to increase. Furthermore, employers will want to ensure that any prospective foreign hires are bringing specialist skills and experience that are not available in the local labor market. This policy change comes amid broader Azerbaijani nationalization efforts in the oil, gas, construction, and healthcare industries (among others), with national authorities seeking to tighten labor migration procedures as part of protecting local workers.