Approval of the 2022 quota for newly admitted foreign employees to the labour market

The Government Decision no. 132/27.01.2022 sets out a total number of 100,000 work permits that can be issued in 2022 to foreign citizens belonging to other states than the EU or the EEA or the Swiss Confederation, or to foreign citizens whose free access to the labor market is established through treaties and agreements concluded by Romania with other states, to foreigners that want to work for a Romanian employer, or to perform work activities in Romania, pursuant to the decision of secondment of a foreign employer.

According to Government Ordinance no. 25/2014 regarding employment and secondment of foreigners in Romania and for amending and supplementing certain acts for foreigners’ regime in Romania, at the proposal of the Labor Ministry, in accordance with the labor migration policy and given the labor work force situation in Romania, this Government Decision approves the yearly general quota for all types of foreign workers newly admitted to the labor market.

The decision regarding the establishment of this year’s quota for a record no. of 100,000 newly admitted foreign workers was taken in view of Romania’s shortage of work force registered in domains of activity such as building construction, infrastructure (road construction), transport, restaurants, hotels, bakery, etc.

Initially, in 2021, a quota of 25,000 newly admitted foreign workers was established on the labor market. Considering that during the year, the number of certificates regarding vacancies requested by employers, territorial agents of ANOFM, necessary for obtaining the work permit issued by the General Inspectorate for Immigration in order to employ foreigners in Romania, substantially increased, the annual quota was subsequently supplemented to 50,000 workers, by a new Government decision adopted in August 2021.

In practice, the Government Decision approved at the end of January 2022, in force as of 02.02.2022, delayed the ongoing processes carried out by employers in need of foreign labor work force, given that all work permit requests previously filed, were denied by the Immigration Inspectorates in January for lack of the work permit quota/2022.

Source: The Official Gazette of Romania, Part I, no. 90 of 28.01.2022.