New Labor and Immigration Policies of Iceland

June 2007POEA MARKET UPDATE NO. 18-07NEW LABOR AND IMMIGRATION POLICIES OF ICELANDThe Philippine Overseas Labor Office in London has reported on the new labor and immigration policies of Iceland following its meeting with Labor and Immigration officials during the visit of the Philippine Embassy delegation in Reykjavik, Iceland on 14-18 June 2007: • Issuance of residence and work permits is restricted to two main categories namely, the highly skilled (specialist occupations)/skilled workers and spouses/dependents of work permit holders.• Work permits issuance to low-skilled non-EU workers, including domestic helpers, has been discontinued. However, for skilled and highly skilled workers, applications submitted by the employers in favor of non-EU workers will be accepted by the Labor Directorate. This is due to the policy of Iceland to attract more workers in this job categories which have skill shortages.• Work permit applications for Filipino nurses and other skilled workers are accepted in Iceland to address the shortage of nurses in some hospitals. For specialists and skilled positions, recruitment search through advertisement is not required, as in the case of...