Croatia Will Extend Foreign Workers’ Residence & Work Permits to 3 Years

In line with a new law that will be introduced soon, Croatia is set to introduce more favorable rules for foreign workers in the country.

As the Croatian Minister of Labour, Marin Piletić has revealed, the country aims to introduce standards for the accommodation of foreign workers.

Moreover, Croatia also wants to extend the validity period of residence and work permits of foreign workers from the current one year to three years, Schengen.News reports.

By extending the residence and work permits, Minister Piletić noted that the country wants to offer an easier transition from one job position to another and to make it simpler to change employers.

Addressing concerns that foreigners are taking away job positions from Croatians, Minister Piletić argued that foreign workers have helped the country deal with labour shortages that have significantly impacted its economy.

At the same time, he suggested that foreign workers “have not lowered the price of work in Croatia” as the average salary is increasing.

Data from the Pension Insurance Institute show that there are currently around 143,000 foreign workers employed in Croatia.

According to Minister Piletić, the majority of foreign workers come from non-EU countries, with them accounting for 12,000 in Croatia at the moment.

The same revealed that most non-EU workers employed in Croatia are mainly nationals of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Albania.

Despite Croatia having a large number of foreign workers, the country continues to deal with shortages in several fields.

To deal with the shortages, the Croatian Ministry of Interior just recently revealed that around 20,000 work permits are being issued to foreigners each month.

The Ministry further disclosed that from January until July of this year, more than 85,000 residence permits were issued. It also shared that around 32,000 permits were extended.

While different parts of Croatia need foreign workers, Istria has been most significantly hit by the shortages.

According to the 2023 EURES report, there are around 30 occupations in Croatia that are in shortage. Foreigners who have occupations on the shortage list have increased chances to obtain a work visa and enter the country for work purposes.

Source : https://schengen.news/croatia-will-extend-foreign-workers-residence-work-permits-to-3-years/