When it comes to Singapore, there is nothing called Singapore Work visa. The authorities in lieu of the work visa issue something called work permit or work pass which enable foreigners to take up temporary or permanent work in the country. The work permit or pass can be applied for by any qualified and skilled Indian, who wants to work in Singapore through an appointed employment agent (EA) or employer.

As per the rules of the work permit, the employers who engage foreign workers in Singapore need to provide them with a salary for their service, maintain a security bond as well as provide them with health insurance.

Requirements for Singapore Work Visa

Foreign workers who work in Singapore need to fulfill the requirements mentioned below:

• The applicant must hold a valid passport.
• The applicant must be of at least 18 years of age
• The applicant can only work within the scope of work mentioned in the work permits issued by the authorities.

Apart from the above mentioned points, foreign workers working in Singapore must also comply with:

• Take no part in any other business or start their own business.
• Work only in the occupation and for the employer specified in the work pass or work permit.
• Not marry a Singapore citizen or permanent resident in or outside Singapore without having the approval from the Ministry of Manpower.
• Reside only at the address set by the employer at the start of the employment.
• Carry the original work permit at all the times and produce it for inspection on demand by any public officer.

Croatia is currently in need of a lot of workers. There are lots of industries, like construction and tourism that simply do not have enough people to fill all the open positions.

Who qualifies for a work permit in Croatia

A residence permit based on employment is a unique permit, which provides temporary residence and allows one to work for a specific Croatian company in Croatia.

To qualify for a work permit, you must meet these two criteria:

• Are a third-country national (non-EU)
• Have been offered work contract with a Croatian company

Why do you have to be a non-EU national? Because EU nationals are allowed to work automatically as part of their basis for temporary residence.

There is a common misunderstanding about work permits in Croatia. That misunderstanding is that you can just apply for a work permit and then go get a job. You must have a job offer first, and then the company applies for a work and residence permit on your behalf.

A work permit is tied to a specific work contract. Because of this, the term of your residence permit will match the term of your work contract, up to 1 year maximum. If your work contract is terminated (either by you or the employer), your work and residence permit will be terminated within 15 days

So, if you want to be granted a work and residence permit in Croatia, the first thing you need to do is get a job.

How to get a job in Croatia

Your very first step, BEFORE you can apply for a work permit, is to get a job in Croatia. You cannot apply for a work permit before you have a job.

We have a detailed guide on how to find a job in Croatia.

Once you find a job, you can start your work permit application. The employer must provide you with one of the following as proof you were hired:

• An offer of employment with a Croatian company
• A valid employment contract or other proof of employment

After you have one of the above, then the company can request a work and residence permit on your behalf. However, there are a few steps the company must go through before they can request your permit, which we explain in the next section.

Work permit quotas and the labor market test

Starting January 1, 2021, work quotas are abolished. This means that there is no limit to the number of foreign workers that can be hired within Croatia. This is definitely progress, but there is still one hoop that a company must jump through before they can hire a foreigner. This hoop is called the “labor market test”.

If a Croatian employer wishes to hire a non-EU national, then they must first request permission from the unemployment agency called HZZ before they can request a work and residence permit for foreign worker. HZZ will perform a labor market test to determine if they will grant the company permission to hire the foreigner.

The labor market test should be completed within 15 days after the employer requests a permission from HZZ. As part of the test, HZZ will check if there are unemployed persons in their database who would meet the employer’s requirements for the role. Employer’s requirements usually include a certain level of education, educational qualification, work experience, and other requirements that employers find important for the position. If HZZ finds potential workers based on the requirements, they will refer them to the employer.

After receiving the list of potential workers from HZZ, the employer must send feedback on every referred worker back to HZZ. On the basis of the feedback from employers and potential workers, HZZ will send a decision on the performed test to the employer.

If the result of the test is positive, this means that the employer will be granted permission to hire a foreign worker within 90 days. A positive result means that the referred workers were not qualified for the position and therefore the employer can hire a foreigner for the role. If the result of the test is negative, the employer will not be given permission to hire a foreign worker.

Employers can send the request for the labor market test to the closest HZZ office to the company by email. The full list of HZZ administration offices is available here.