January 9, 2012 - With the issuance of 2012’s work permit quota, the Romanian government announced a new work permit category.  Foreign nationals who are designated as “highly skilled” may qualify for the new Blue Card, which offers a faster immigration process among other benefits.  Blue Cards will be issued for the length of the holder’s employment contract plus an additional three months (up to a total of two years).  If a Blue Card holder should reside in various EU states, those stays would apply toward any long-term residency permit requirements.  Along with the yearly quota announcements, the Romanian government introduced and designated 1,000 Blue Cards for 2012.  This year’s allotment of local employment work permits decreased to 3,000, while work permits for eligible “seconded workers” increased to a total of 700.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network provider located in Romania.  For additional information, please contact GlobalVisaGroup@balglobal.com.