Departure Now Required for Work Permit Renewals After Government Changes How Residence Permit Expiries are Calculated

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At a Glance

• Mozambique’s immigration authorities have confirmed that residence permits will now be issued only until the date of the expiry of a foreign worker's work permit, rather than two years from entry, which was the prior practice.
• As a result, foreign nationals seeking to renew their work permit will need to leave Mozambique with their dependents during the processing of the new work permit, because they would no longer have a valid residence permit to remain in country.

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The situation

Following an observed change in practice, immigration authorities in Mozambique have confirmed that they are no longer issuing residence permits that are valid for two years from an applicant’s date of entry. Instead, residence permits are now granted with the same expiry date as a foreign national’s underlying work permit.

Impact

• Departure required. In practice, this change in policy will result in foreign nationals having to depart Mozambique when renewing their work permits, because:
  • Current rules prevent foreign nationals from applying for a work permit renewal more than one week in advance of the permit’s expiry;
  • Work permit renewal applications currently take one to two months to process;
  • This means an individual’s residence permit will expire while their work permit renewal is being processed; and
  • Foreign nationals are not allowed to be in Mozambique without a valid work permit and residence permit.
• Re-entry under new visa. To re-enter Mozambique, renewal applicants will be required to obtain new a entry visa from a Mozambique consular post prior to travel. After entry, they will have to extend their visas after their work permit renewal applications are finalized.
• Effect on dependents. The change impacts both the principal foreign worker, as well as any accompanying family members, whose status is tied to the principal's.
• Practical impacts. In total, the change will add significant time, cost and personal challenges to the work permit renewal process in Mozambique, particularly for foreign employees who are accompanied by family members. 

 

Background

Previously, because residence permits were typically valid two years from entry, their expiries would extend past a foreign national’s work permit. Individuals could then renew their work permits while their residence permits still remained valid.

Looking ahead

Fragomen is working with clients to raise awareness within the government about how this change will negatively impact the business community, and to request the government extend the renewal filing period, which could negate the current practical problem of renewal applicants having to leave the country during the application process.

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].