Foreigners required to register before endorsement of work permit

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? Kenya’s Department of Immigration Services has begun requiring foreigners to register before their work permits are endorsed.

What does the change mean? Foreign workers must appear in person for a registration appointment after their work permit is issued. The work permit will be endorsed at the same appointment.

• Implementation time frame: Immediate.
• Visas/permits affected: Work permits. At this time, the registration requirement does not apply to passes of any category.
• Who is affected: Foreign nationals applying for work permits.
• Impact on processing times: The registration will require an in-person appointment that is expected to take approximately one hour.
• Business impact: The change will have no business impact, as foreigner registration and work permit endorsement have been condensed into a same-day process. Previously, endorsements were not tied to completion of foreigner registration.

Background: The department announced the new registration procedures this week. Effective immediately, foreign nationals are required to schedule an appointment to register as foreigners once their work permit is issued but before it is endorsed. The foreigner can register and have the work permit endorsed in a single appointment.

BAL Analysis: Kenya’s registration requirement is consistent with a trend in many countries toward better tracking of foreign nationals through registration procedures.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network provider located in Kenya. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.

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