Belgium’s northern region of Flanders has quietly become one of Europe’s toughest jurisdictions for labour migration. A package of measures that entered into force on 1 January 2026 raised application fees for the single permit, narrowed the list of eligible occupations and removed most low- and medium-skilled roles from the scheme. Figures released to De Tijd show that in the first seven months of 2026 employers filed 4,125 single-permit applications, 12 % fewer than in the same period of 2025. Flemish Employment Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) argues the drop proves the policy is “working as designed”: companies should first exhaust the local talent pool before looking overseas. Business groups say the story on the ground is more complicated. The transport federation Febetra warns of a chronic 5,000-driver shortfall that domestic recruitment cannot fill. The Flemish chamber of commerce VOKA predicts employers will turn to “posting” – hiring workers on contracts issued by subsidiaries in Poland or Lithuania and seconding them to Belgium – a loophole that yields the desired labour but deprives Belgian social-security coffers. Academics offer a nuanced reading. Labour-market economist Jan Denys notes that Belgium remains relatively liberal for highly-skilled migrants, who are still exempt from quotas and benefit from fast-track processing. The real squeeze is on visa classes designed for warehouse staff, hospitality workers and construction labourers. Whether the new hurdles prompt local jobseekers to take those roles “will only become clear in two or three years,” Denys says. For global mobility managers the message is clear: hiring into Flemish entities now demands more lead-time, larger budgets and a watertight business case demonstrating that the vacancy cannot be filled within the EU. Companies unwilling or unable to absorb the extra cost may have to base staff elsewhere and rely on short-term postings, with implications for payroll, tax and posted-worker notifications. Expatriates already in Belgium are unaffected, but renewals will be scrutinised more closely. Immigration advisers recommend initiating single-permit files at least four months before the target start date and budgeting for additional translations and attestations required under the tighter rules. In the wider EU context, Flanders’ move illustrates a trend towards skills-based migration filters and higher entry thresholds. Neighbouring Wallonia and Brussels have not followed suit – yet – creating an intra-Belgian patchwork that multinational HR teams must navigate carefully.
Source: The Brussels Times
