In a flash alert issued on 4 February, KPMG confirmed that the Flemish Government has overhauled its 2018 decision on the employment of foreign workers. Most provisions took effect on 1 January 2026, but employers are only now digesting the fine print as regional authorities roll out implementing guidelines.
Key changes include a narrower definition of ‘highly-skilled’: roles must demonstrably require a higher-education degree, and officials can demand diplomatic certification of that diploma. The separate pathway for medium-skilled occupations has been cut back as the annual shortage-occupation list was trimmed—from 34 roles to 26—making it harder for hospitality and logistics firms to sponsor non-EU staff.
Perhaps the most eye-catching novelty is a €250 ‘retribution’ that companies must pay with every Single-Permit application from Q2 2026. Failure to attach proof of payment will see files closed without refund. Multinationals with large rotational populations fear six-figure hits to mobility budgets and are pressing for an online bulk-payment facility.
![Flanders tightens rules for hiring non-EU talent and introduces €250 application fee]()
For organisations and individuals seeking help to navigate Belgium’s increasingly intricate work-permit maze, VisaHQ offers end-to-end services: from diploma legalisation and translation to real-time tracking of Single-Permit applications. Its Brussels-based team (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) can also advise on upcoming retribution payments and regional quota limits, giving HR leaders a single platform to manage multiple filings with fewer administrative surprises.
The decree also introduces a presumption that any employer whose Belgian workforce is more than 80 per cent non-EU on fixed-term permits may be refused new authorisations. Immigration lawyers say the rule could disrupt IT outsourcing models that rely on project-based Indian and Turkish staff.
Flanders’ reforms come on top of the Brussels Region’s move to monthly salary thresholds and Wallonia’s indexation of annual figures, making Belgium’s patchwork of regional rules more complex than ever. Global-mobility leaders are mapping assignment pipelines to decide whether projects can be shifted to Brussels or the Netherlands until Flemish processing times—and the new shortage list—stabilise.
Key changes include a narrower definition of ‘highly-skilled’: roles must demonstrably require a higher-education degree, and officials can demand diplomatic certification of that diploma. The separate pathway for medium-skilled occupations has been cut back as the annual shortage-occupation list was trimmed—from 34 roles to 26—making it harder for hospitality and logistics firms to sponsor non-EU staff.
Perhaps the most eye-catching novelty is a €250 ‘retribution’ that companies must pay with every Single-Permit application from Q2 2026. Failure to attach proof of payment will see files closed without refund. Multinationals with large rotational populations fear six-figure hits to mobility budgets and are pressing for an online bulk-payment facility.
For organisations and individuals seeking help to navigate Belgium’s increasingly intricate work-permit maze, VisaHQ offers end-to-end services: from diploma legalisation and translation to real-time tracking of Single-Permit applications. Its Brussels-based team (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) can also advise on upcoming retribution payments and regional quota limits, giving HR leaders a single platform to manage multiple filings with fewer administrative surprises.
The decree also introduces a presumption that any employer whose Belgian workforce is more than 80 per cent non-EU on fixed-term permits may be refused new authorisations. Immigration lawyers say the rule could disrupt IT outsourcing models that rely on project-based Indian and Turkish staff.
Flanders’ reforms come on top of the Brussels Region’s move to monthly salary thresholds and Wallonia’s indexation of annual figures, making Belgium’s patchwork of regional rules more complex than ever. Global-mobility leaders are mapping assignment pipelines to decide whether projects can be shifted to Brussels or the Netherlands until Flemish processing times—and the new shortage list—stabilise.
