The single application procedure for issuing a single permit for third-country nationals to reside for the purpose of work in the territory of a Member State, has the objective to simplify the procedures for their admission and to facilitate the control of their status.

The Directive also lays down a common set of rights to third-country workers legally residing in a Member State, irrespective of the purposes for which they were initially admitted to the territory of that Member State, based on equal treatment with nationals of that Member State.