RIR supports the business through its service “Mediation in the Issuance of Common Residence and Work Permit” and “Blue Card” for employees residing in non-EU countries.
For the past several years, a growing number of employers operating in Bulgaria have expressed their concern over the deficit of skilled workforce in almost all fields of business. This has inevitably resulted in competition between the businesses to attract and keep employees. Faced with the deficiency of local experts, companies have been growingly looking for alternatives beyond the borders of Bulgaria and the EU.
Bulgaria’s existing labour and migration legislation sets some serious restrictions when it comes to hiring staff from non-EU countries. Such staff should be legally residing in the country, while the process of obtaining a permit usually begins even before they have moved to Bulgaria.
Currently, there are very few companies dealing with bringing non-EU experts to Bulgaria. Their main concerns have to do with red tape and complicated procedures involved in obtaining a Common Residence and Work Permit and Blue Card for a foreigner.
Radioactive International Recruitment (RIR)is one of the few agencies on Bulgaria’s labour market that helps its employer clients in their efforts to hire skilled workers from non-EU countries. The employment of specialists holding a work permit secures lower workforce flow in the companies and reduces costs for the constant training of new staff. Such employee cannot change their employer without leaving the country and going through the whole process of obtaining a Commo Residence and Work Permit all over again.
What should Bulgarian employers know before launching a Common Residence and Work Permitapplication procedure?
The whole procedure – from the preparation stage to the actual arrival of the foreign skilled worker in Bulgaria, lasts an average of three-to-five months and involves a lot of documents and contacts with various institutions. This is one of the main reasons making businesses seek subcontractors to perform the necessary steps.
Usually, the share of third-country employees working for a Bulgarian employer applying for a Common Residence and Work Permit should not exceed 20% of their total staff. For small and medium-sized businesses this share should be less than 35%. Until recently, the quota was 10%.
Another requirement is that the salary paid to the candidate should be enough to cover living expenses in the country under an amount set through an act by the Council of Ministers.
To justify the need to hire a third-country employee, an employer must perform a preliminary labour market research (market test) covering a period of 15 days to three months immediately before the application. The research should be carried out based on information published by national and local media, including the Labour Bureau directorate at the spot where the position is based. When announcing the vacancy, the employer should provide the following information: position requirements, remuneration and other social benefits. All these obligations are included in the service offered by RIR’s team.
The work permit is valid for the period of a foreigner’s labour contract, but no longer than one year. It can be extended twice for a period of up to 12 months, or a total of three years. After that, the employer has the option to continue to work with the respective employee by signing a new contract and launching a new procedure to obtain a Common Residence and Work Permit. The maximum period of a Blue Card permit is four years.
The team of RadioActive International Recruitment (RIR) is specialized in this service and works successfully with some of Bulgaria’s biggest outsourcing companies and multiple IT companies on the market.
You can find out more about this servicehere.
