More than 2,200 foreigners from 89 countries have valid permits of stay in Moldova for work purposes. In a response to IPN, the Bureau for Migration and Asylum said that 80% of the foreigners who immigrate to the Republic of Moldova for work are issued with documents for migrant workers, detached or foreign workers engaged in investment projects of national importance and foreign assistance projects.

Most often, the foreigners are employed in the building sector (erecting of buildings, road repair works, infrastructure projects), production of equipment or accessories (chains, isolated cables), public food (primarily bakery industry), aviation, education and sport. Most of the foreigners working in Moldova are from Turkey, Ukraine, Romania, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Italy. There is by one employee from Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Columbia, Ethiopia, Iran, Malta etc.

Last year, 1,371 foreigners received the right to work, while for 873 persons this right was extended. During the same year, a work permit was asked by 218 persons, while in 2019 – by 216 persons. The right to stay is annulled if the contract is terminated or the place of work is changed by the employee.

The foreigner who wants to work in the Republic of Moldova should obtain the permit of stay for employment. The documents are received at the one-stop shop intended for foreigners of the Bureau for Migration and Asylum in the municipality of Chisinau and at the local offices (municipalities of Balti, Comrat and Cahul).

According to the Bureau, the procedure for providing the right to work was simplified and the permit of stay can be now obtained before arriving in Moldova. The period for examining the documents submitted for obtaining the work permit was reduced from 30 days to 15 days and the number of presented documents was decreased. There were specified the commitments and responsibilities undertaken by the applicant beneficiary (legal entity from Moldova).

The employment of foreigners is the responsibility of the employer-legal entity from Moldova. This, as the applicant beneficiary, assumes responsibilities and commitments for fulfilling the national procedures for announcing and registering vacant jobs, for ensuring correspondence of the foreigner’s qualification, particularities of the profession and post for which this is to be employed and makes sure that the foreigner owns a health policy and that the contractual salary conditions are observed.