Flemish authorities publish September processing times: single-permit renewals still take up to 13 weeks

The Flemish Government’s economic-migration portal on 14 September posted its monthly update of indicative processing times for work-authorisation dossiers. First-time “single permit” applications—which combine the right to work and reside—currently take about four weeks at the regional stage but still require a further 15–16 weeks at the federal Immigration Office. Renewals fare slightly better, with three weeks at Flanders level and 12–13 weeks federally, yet employers complain the timeline leaves little margin before existing permits expire. Seasonal-work requests remain the quickest category at just one week, reflecting the region’s priority for agricultural labour. The bulletin also quantifies blue-card decisions at 11–12 weeks, confirming anecdotal reports from multinational tech firms that high-skilled approvals have stabilised after last year’s backlog. Officials urge companies to file renewal dossiers at least two months before permit expiry and remind HR teams that no authorisation is granted retroactively if the intended start date lapses during review. For expatriate managers the takeaway is to pad mobility timelines: a full initial procedure—from contract signature to entry visa—can still stretch to five months. Some employers are turning to short-stay C-visas so new hires can train in Belgium while awaiting permit issuance, though this strategy requires strict adherence to the 90-day Schengen limit. The public release of processing data, now a monthly practice, is widely praised for transparency but also keeps pressure on both regional and federal services to shorten queues in the run-up to 2027 labour-market reforms.