11.05.2022

FOREIGNERS CAN APPLY FOR A LONG-STAY VISA TO WORK IN ROMANIA WITHIN 180 DAYS

According to a recent amendment to the Extraordinary Government Ordinance (OUG) 194/2002 on foreigners in Romania, the deadline for applying for a long-term work visa in Romania has been extended from 60 to 180 days from the date of receipt of the work permit from the employer.

"Emergency Government Ordinance (OUG) 59/2022 amending the legislation on foreigners in Romania entered into force on 5 May, thus amending OG 25/2014 on the recruitment and secondment of foreigners to Romania in order to enable to apply for hiring/posting permits from all local immigration services," the General Immigration Inspectorate (GII) said on Friday.

OUG 59 of 4 May 2022 amending the legislation on foreigners in Romania was published in the State Gazette 450/2022 on 5 May. The ordinance facilitates the issuance of approvals for hiring/posting and work visas and allows for the shorter-term hiring of foreign workers as part of the contingent of new foreign workers admitted to the Romanian labor market.

"The removal of restrictions on the KOVID-19 pandemic in Romania has led to an increase in the number of applications for work permits/postings, which has made it impossible for immigration services to process applications satisfactorily. At the same time this year according to OG 132/2022 to establish a quota for newly recruited foreign workers on the labor market in 2022, a contingent of 100,000 newly recruited foreign workers was established, which is 100 percent more than the previous year."

The provisions in the new legislation aim to streamline the management of applications by creating a single work process throughout the country, thus contributing to supporting the employment of foreign nationals and employers of newly recruited foreign workers by reducing waiting times to submit applications and start work in a shorter time.