Newsletter
Mobility and immigration

In times of globalisation and scarcity on the Belgian labour market, the international mobility of workers is also increasing. More than ever, employers rely on workers who are not citizens of an EEA Member State or Switzerland (here, “foreign workers” or “third-country nationals”). This may concern a temporary secondment to Belgium by a foreign employer, but also a permanent position with a Belgian employer.

Such foreign workers, however, are not allowed to work in Belgium just like that: the employer must in principle obtain prior authorisation, and the worker must have a Belgian residence permit. Infringements of these obligations are heavily sanctioned.

At the start of the new year, there is a lot of news to report on this topic. The rules on the employment of foreign workers have been fundamentally amended, both with regard to the procedure and the substantive conditions (for the time being, mainly in Flanders).

The rules have certainly not become simpler, but with this newsletter we provide you with a practical overview of the new rules. This gives you an idea of the possibilities your company has to call on foreign workers, so that you can continue to look across borders in 2019.

Single permit EN