Belgium: Expedited Processing for Highly-Skilled Foreign Workers in the Flanders Region

The Flemish government has implemented 15-calendar-day processing for highly skilled workers’ work authorization (down from one to 2.5 months), bringing the overall work authorization processing time (including consular processing and residence permit processing) from 4.5 months to three months in the Flemish region. Starting January 2026, the Flemish government intends to reduce the standard processing time for all work authorization applications to a maximum of 45 calendar days.