Access to the Belgian labour market has been simplified for those coming from outside of Europe but who legally reside in Belgium. The changes came with a bill passed on Thursday by the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor (CD&V).
Tapping into public support for migrants that help with labour shortages (a recent survey by Randstad showed that 60% of Belgians support this), the new bill opens up the labour market by addressing the barriers that previously impeded this, as reported by the University of Ghent in May.
Until now, foreigners could only apply for a permit from abroad if they were staying here for a short period of up to 90 days or for students and academic researchers. De Moor called this arrangement "completely absurd."
“A third-country national working legally but whose stay is coming to an end now has to give up their job in Belgium, go back to their country of origin, apply for a new job in Belgium, only to be able to start working again after several weeks."
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To that end, a new bill approved by MPs on Thursday will allow third-country nationals to use the so-called single permit (which combines work and residence permits) to work.
The minister hoped that the bill will allow "companies to fill their vacancies for jobs in short supply as quickly as possible." She added that it should help Belgian companies to remain competitive internationally and "not lose talent for highly skilled jobs to foreign companies. ... Being able to keep people on board or recruit them quickly is an absolute necessity."
