MINSK, 16 December (BelTA) – Highly-qualified foreign specialists will have to live in Belarus for three years in order to get residence permits, BelTA learned from Vitaly Naumchik, First Deputy Head of the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Belarusian Internal Affairs Ministry, on 16 December.
According to the source, the validity period of residence permits for highly-qualified foreign specialists has been extended. The required amount of time they need to live in the country in order to get residence permits later on has been reduced. In the past foreign citizens needed to live in Belarus for seven years in order to qualify for residence permits. Now the term is five years. The required amount of time has been reduced to three years for highly-qualified specialists.
More educational programs to help foreigners get residence permits are now available. According to Vitaly Naumchik, it will help Belarusian education institutions increase the export of services.
BelTA reported earlier that Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has signed amendments to the law on the legal status of foreign citizens and stateless persons in the Republic of Belarus. The main provisions of the law will come into force on 1 July 2020. The law provides for raising the time limit, during which foreigners are supposed to register their temporary place of stay with the local police department, from five days to ten days. The decision is expected to enhance the country’s tourism and investment appeal in addition to facilitating business contacts and personal ones.