New Minimum Salaries for Highly-Skilled and Executive Foreign Employees

IMPACT – Medium

What are the changes? The Belgium government has increased minimum salary levels for highly-skilled and executive foreign employees under the Type B visa category.

What does the change mean? The change is an annual adjustment that reflects inflation and will take effect on Jan. 1, 2014.

• Implementation timeframe: Jan. 1, 2014.
• Visas/permits affected: Type B work permits for highly-skilled workers and executives.
• Who is affected: Companies sponsoring highly-skilled employees and executives.
• Impact on processing times: No impact.
• Business impact: Higher minimum salaries make for more expensive expat assignments.
• Next steps: Employers should observe the new minimum salary requirements in applying for and renewing work permits for the above categories.

Background: The minimum salary increases were published in the Belgium Official Journal on Oct. 25, 2013, and reflect a nearly 2 percent increase to existing minimum salaries.

Highly-skilled employees must be paid a minimum of 39,422 euros per year, up from 38,665 euros per year. Executive-level personnel must earn a minimum base salary of 65,771 euros, increased from the current minimum annual salary of 64,508 euros.

BAL analysis: Employers risk rejection of work permits for highly-skilled and executive-level workers under Type B visas if they do not comply with the new minimum salary rules. Employers are encouraged to review the salaries of current expats and assignees in Belgium and confirm that they are in compliance with the new requirements.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network provider located in Belgium. For additional information, please contact GlobalVisaGroup@bal.com.

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