Due to the unusual circumstances that have arisen, including heavily increased work loads at The Directorate of Labour, is evident that application processing periods will increase significantly.

Processing of new work permit applications partially postponed

The Directorate of Labour has decided that all applications for new permits on the grounds of Articles 8, 9 and 15 of the Foreign Nationals’ Right to Work Act, No. 97/2007, which were submitted to The Directorate of Immigration after the 15th of March 2020, will not be examined in substance by the directorate before the 15th of May 2020. This applies only to new applications, but not to extensions of existing permits. The categories of permits this will impact are: Temporary work permits for a job which requires special skills, temporary work permits due to a shortage of employees, and temporary work permits for specialised employees under service contacts or collaboration agreements. It is also evident that the demand for workers, both skilled and unskilled, in the domestic labour market has declined significantly. In regard to this, please be informed that temporary work permits on the grounds of Articles 8 and 9 of the Act will only be granted in instances where employees are not considered available, neither in the domestic labour market,  or within the European Economic Area, in the EFTA states or in the Faroe Islands.

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