
The situation
Effective March 1, 2018, the minimum gross monthly salary for foreign workers has increased by 6.5 percent for all permit types.
A closer look
- The new minimum monthly salaries are as follows:
- EUR 2,442 for top specialists
- EUR 1,221 for other specialists
- EUR 1,831.50 for EU Blue Card applicants
- EUR 1,514.04 for EU Blue Card applicants employed as top specialists
- Initial and renewal applications. Employers of foreign nationals seeking to obtain or renew a work permit on or after March 1, 2018 must increase the foreign national’s minimum salary to comply with the new rule. New immigration applications that do not meet the minimum salary will be rejected.
- Pending applications. Employers of foreign nationals with pending work permit applications as of March 1, 2018 are not required to increase the foreign national’s minimum salary.
- Currency. As before, employers are required to guarantee the salary in EUR regardless of payroll location and/or exchange rate fluctuations.
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].
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