“Flanders has to be an attractive region for top talent”

The N-VA is advocating a “fast track” procedure for highly qualified workers from abroad. The current procedure is too slow and threatens Flanders’ competitive position, says the N-VA. “We must not lose the international war for talent.”

10,000 applications in 2019

Since the beginning of last year, a so-called “single permit” has been in force: an electronic residence permit that contains both a work permit and a residence permit. Last year there were 10,649 applications for that permit, 9,841 of which were declared admissible. Most applications are from Indians, Turks and Japanese.

Faster processing time

The processing time of the procedure can exceed three months. Too long, the N-VA says. “It has to be faster, because we risk losing our competitive position. There is an increasing danger that third-country nationals will apply for a combined permit in the Netherlands and come to work in Flanders via a secondment. This deprives us of income and is bad for our image.”