In our previous article on the legislative amendment that entered into force on 1 January 2025, we indicated that the list of citizens eligible to apply for residence permit for employment purposes is expected. In a statement released yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added the Republic of the Philippines to the list previously defined in the legislation.
So currently the following citizens may apply for residence permits for employment purposes:
- Georgian,
- Armenian and
- Filipino
Other elements of the legislative amendment remain unchanged:
The amendment also provides for certain exceptions to the above rule, in which cases residence permits for employment purposes and guest residence permits can still be applied for based on the previous regulation.
The new nationality restriction does not apply to:
- if the applicant converts his/her valid work permit issued under the previous Aliens Act (applied for before 01.01.2024) into a residence permit for employment purposes or guest worker residence permit
- if the applicant already holds a valid residence permit for employment purposes or guest worker residence permit and extends it,
- if the applicant already holds a valid residence permit for employment purposes or guest worker residence permit and requests its reissue
In the cases listed as exceptions, residence permits for employment purposes can be applied for without nationality restrictions, while guest workers can be applied for on the basis of the previous citizenship list
Residence permit applications validly submitted before 01.01.2025 will still be assessed based on the previous regulation.