The new Walloon government decree of 6 June 2024 relating to the admission to work of foreign workers (in French or Dutch), replacing the decree of 16 May 2019, comes into force on 1 September 2024. According to the Public Service of Wallonia (SPW), this reform pursues a triple objective: (i) to respond to the shortage of labor in many sectors of activity, (ii) to develop the economic attractiveness of Wallonia and (iii) to reduce the administrative burden for businesses.

The main changes concern inter alia:

• the criteria for granting the permit for a limited duration (including for junior highly qualified personnel, junior EU Blue Card...);
   
• the criteria for granting the permit for an unlimited duration (among others accessible to the holder of an EU blue card issued in Belgium, after one year of actual services...);
   
• the exemptions (inter alia for researchers under contract, post-doctoral fellows...);
   
• more numerous and varied possibilities for the employer to demonstrate that the local market cannot meet the demand for employment (not only via the list of shortage professions but also via the Public Service for Employment and Vocational Training in Wallonia - FOREM...);
   
• the definitions of short (90 days out of a 180-day period) and long stay;
   
• the possibility of working for more than one employer (under certain conditions and without having to request explicit authorisation for highly qualified personnel, after 1 year for holders of the EU blue card issued in Belgium);
   
• new reasons for withdrawal or refusal (for non-compliance with the conditions of access to the profession, for sanctions in the year preceding the request...)

For further details, please watch this video (in French) from the Public Service of Wallonia.
You can also send questions and requests to permisdetravail@spw.wallonie.be and singlepermit@ibz.fgov.be.