Flanders Introduces 180 Euro Fee for Work Permits

Flemish Minister of Work Zuhal Demir (N-VA) has announced a new 180 euro administrative fee for each work migration application under the Single Permit system, set to take effect in 2027. The measure, designed to cover processing costs, has drawn sharp criticism from employer organizations who warn it adds yet another layer of bureaucracy to an already strained system.

Background: A Broader Reform

The fee is the latest step in a sweeping overhaul of Flanders’ labor migration policy that began on January 1, 2026. Under the reforms, low-skilled workers from outside the EU have been completely excluded from the Single Permit system. The list of shortage occupations (knelpuntberoepen) eligible for medium-skilled workers was reduced from 29 to 21, removing professions such as truck drivers, bakers, butchers, and sanitary installers.

According to Het Laatste Nieuws, the policy is built on a “concentric circles” model: employers must first seek workers locally, then within Belgium, then the EU, and only as a last resort look outside the bloc. The reforms prioritize highly skilled workers, with a target processing time of just two weeks for their applications.

The New Fee: Purpose and Impact

The 180 euro fee per application is intended to cover administrative costs, including personnel expenses and IT infrastructure for case handling. Minister Demir has stated that the revenue will be used to hire additional staff and deploy artificial intelligence to ensure applications are processed within a maximum of 30 days.

“Those who want to recruit labor migrants will henceforth take on the financial responsibility themselves,” Demir said in a press release, as reported by De Morgen. “It is not up to the Flemish people to bear these costs. That is logical. But it is also fair and keeps the system healthy.”

Employers already pay a 152 euro fee to the federal Immigration Office (Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken) for each Single Permit application. The new Flemish fee brings the total to 332 euros per application.

Employer Pushback

Gianni Duvillier, a labor market expert at Voka, Flanders’ largest employer organization, criticized the decision. “For the application of a combined permit, a fee of 152 euros already has to be paid to the federal Immigration Office. Now Flemish costs of 180 euros are added on top,” Duvillier told De Morgen. “That is cumbersome, while it can already take up to 15 weeks before an application is processed.”

Duvillier also pushed back against the concentric model itself, calling it “a theoretical approach that does not match reality. The Flemish labor market is too rigid for that.”

Early Results of the Reform

Demir’s cabinet has released data showing the reforms are already shifting migration patterns. Since the January 2026 changes:

• First applications for medium-skilled workers dropped by 61%
• First applications for high-skilled workers increased by 12%
• In 2025, a record 21,000+ non-EU work migrants were registered in Flanders

The figures suggest the policy is achieving its stated goal of reorienting labor migration toward highly skilled talent, though critics argue the overall decline in applications may exacerbate labor shortages in key sectors.

Broader Implications

The fee announcement comes amid a broader debate about Flanders’ approach to labor migration. The Flemish government’s own coalition agreement explicitly stated the goal of making labor migration more attractive than the fraud-sensitive “detachering” (worker posting) system. However, as VRT NWS reported in November 2024, Voka CEO Hans Maertens has warned that Flanders is “already so strict in admitting international talent” and that the labor market alone is “too tight to meet demand.”

A 2025 OECD and European Commission report warned that stricter rules may push employers toward using posted workers from other EU countries, a less regulated channel that deprives Flanders of fiscal benefits and increases exploitation risks. Think tank Denktank Minerva has identified a “migration paradox” in Flanders: migrants are politically unwanted but economically indispensable.

What’s Next

The 180 euro fee is expected to take effect in 2027, pending the publication of a ministerial decree. The Flemish government has indicated the fee will be indexed annually. Opposition parties and labor unions have yet to issue formal responses, but the measure is likely to face scrutiny in the Flemish Parliament.

For employers, the key question remains whether the additional revenue will indeed deliver faster processing times — or whether, as Voka fears, it will simply add another administrative hurdle in a system already struggling with delays of up to 15 weeks.