Proposal for a Directive on a single application procedure for a single permit for third-country nationals to reside and work in the territory of a Member State and on a common set of rights for third-country workers legally residing in a Member State (recast)

Summary:

Legislative initiative tabled by the European Commission on 27 April 2022, aimed at revising the so-called Single Permit Directive.

Further information:

Directive 2011/98/EU establishes a single residence and work permit for workers from non-European Union countries. It also defines a range of specific rights to offer equal treatment to the non-EU workers covered by the Directive.

As highlighted under the 2019 fitness check on legal migration and implementation report, some outstanding issues continued to undermine full achievement of the objectives of the existing Directive. This draft law intends to amend this Directive to look at ways to simplify and clarify the scope of the legislation.

The proposal aims to streamline the application procedure and make it more effective, to help increase the EU's attractiveness and address EU labour shortages. It also includes new requirements to strengthen the safeguards and equal treatment of nationals of non-EU countries as compared to EU citizens and improve their protection from labour exploitation.

This draft law was tabled by the European Commission on 27 April 2022 as part of the Skills and Talent package of measures proposed as a follow-up to the Commission's New Pact on Migration and Asylum.

Official

EUR-LEX: SWD(2022)655: Staff Working Document accompanying the Proposal - Executive Summary of the Impact Assessment Report https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=SWD:2022:655:FIN

EUR-LEX: SWD(2022)656: Staff Working Document accompanying the Proposal - Impact Assessment Report https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=SWD:2022:656:FIN

European Commission: Press Release, 27/04/2022: Legal migration: Attracting skills and talent to the EU https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_2654

European Commission: Questions and Answers – Attracting skills and talent to the EU (27 April 2022) https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_22_2655

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Commentary and Analysis

The Local (France), 04/06/2022: What is the EU’s ‘single permit’ for third-country nationals and can I get one? https://www.thelocal.fr/20220604/what-is-the-eus-single-permit-for-third-country-nationals-and-can-i-get-one/

EU Immigration and Asylum Law and Policy Blog, 13/07/2022: Recasting the Single Permit Directive: furthering the protection of migrants at work in the EU? https://eumigrationlawblog.eu/recasting-the-single-permit-directive-furthering-the-protection-of-migrants-at-work-in-the-eu/

EPRS: Briefing, October 2022: Recasting the Single Permit Directive for third-country nationals - Initial Appraisal of a European Commission Impact Assessment https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_BRI(2022)734685

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