Some countries have made the decision to modify their strategy in order to overcome workforce deficits and accommodate foreign workers in the middle of the labour shortages that the EU/EEA is experiencing. Only a few EU/EEA nations have revealed their annual quotas for this year, despite the fact that many of them require seasonal, highly qualified, and specialised labour. To help its businesses cope with shortages, Norway intends to provide up to 6,000 skilled workers residency permits annually. In addition, Slovakia will grant national visas this year, with a 7,000 cap, while Germany will grant 25,000 permits for foreign labourers. Other EU countries anticipate a surge in demand and will also be issuing a large number of work permits or visas in the upcoming months. However, because various industries have varying demands, some nations have chosen not to impose particular quotas, instead choosing to grant permits based on demand at the time of issuance.

Norway’s Yearly Quota for Residence Permits for Skilled Workers Set to 6,000 for 2024

The Norwegian Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion disclosed that the country will issue up to 6,000 residence permits for skilled workers this year. The same stressed that the permits will be issued under a simplified procedure. This means that those eligible for the permit will not have to undergo strict rules. Norway is one of the countries that has been dealing with shortages in some sectors. For this reason, to meet its labour needs, the country has decided to issue up to 6,000 permits to foreigners this year. While Norway applies a simplified procedure for skilled foreign workers, the streamlined process does not extend to other types of workers. Norway stressed that it primarily aims to fulfil the needs of other workers by tapping into its own population resources and by prioritising labour immigration from the EEA. This means that Norway will first assess whether certain positions can be filled by Norwegians or citizens of other EEA countries. If not, employers in the country can then start the process of bringing foreign non-skilled workers to Norway.

Slovakia Will Issue 2,000 National Visas for Skilled Workers & 3,000 Nationals Visas for Highly Qualified Workers in 2024

Differently from Norway, which has a quota only for skilled workers, Slovakia has revealed that the country has a quota for both skilled workers and highly qualified workers. Slovakia’s Ministry of Labour said that throughout this year, the country will grant long-term visas to up to 2,000 skilled workers. The country has already allocated 200 out of the 2,000 spots for bus drivers. The remaining visas will be granted to international transport drivers and domestic transport drivers. Regarding highly qualified foreigners, the Ministry of Labour of Slovakia said that the country will issue 3,000 national visas to this group of workers this year. While the Ministry did not reveal which highly qualified foreign workers are most wanted in the country, it is believed that it mainly wants to attract healthcare professionals, information technology specialists, and technicians, among others.

2,000 National Visas Will Also Be Issued for Some Selected Industrial Professions

In addition to these two groups of foreign workers, the Ministry revealed that the country has also allocated 2,000 national visas for some selected industrial professions. According to the Ministry, individuals eligible for the 2,000 national visas include equipment operators in the metallurgical industry, machine operators in rubber product manufacturing, assembly workers in machinery production, assembly workers in chemical, rubber, and plastic production, operators of electronic devices, forklift operators, metal welders, CNC machine setters, metal machinists, construction and operational technicians, as well as maintenance workers. Based on the data provided by the Ministry, Slovakia will issue up to 7,000 national visas to foreign workers this year, with highly qualified workers being the most wanted in the country.

Germany Has a Maximum 25,000 Work Permit Quota for This Year

Germany has also revealed the work permit quota for this year. The Federal Foreign Office of Germany disclosed that the country will issue a maximum of 25,000 work permits to foreigners in 2024. As for work visas, the country said that there are no general quotas for this type of document.

Germany Introduces 50,000 Annual Quota for Western Balkans Nationals From June 2024

In addition to the above-mentioned, the Federal Foreign Office confirmed once again that starting in June 2024, Germany will have an annual quota of 50,000 approvals for nationals of the Western Balkan countries – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Serbia. As for the period before June, the Federal Foreign Office said that the country has a maximum quota of 25,000 until May 31, 2024. Under the Western Balkans regulation, nationals of these five countries will be offered access to Germany’s labour market for a wide range of occupations. The scheme, under which 50,000 nationals of the Western Balkan countries will be able to enter Germany for work purposes each year, is managed by the Federal Employment Agency. The decision to allow such a high number of workers from the Western Balkan to access the labour market in Germany has been taken in an attempt to help the country deal with the shortages in various sectors. As for the total quota for foreign workers, Germany has not yet shared any official data. However, the country is expected to issue a high number of work visas to nationals of other third countries, too, especially Brazil, with which Germany has already concluded an agreement.