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MINSK, 21 May (BelTA) – Employers in Belarus will bear a greater responsibility for migrant workers they hire, Head of the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus Aleksei Begun told BelTA commenting on the recent presidential decree “On enhancing the role of employers in labor migration”.
“This decree expands the responsibilities of employers for foreign staff. Employers will be obliged to sign a contract with migrant workers within 30 days after their entry into Belarus or 30 days after receiving a special work permit,” Aleksei Begun noted.
An employer should designate persons responsible for monitoring working and living conditions of migrant workers. These people should visit foreigners at their homes to check their living conditions in order to make sure they keep the property clean and comply with the terms and conditions of their tenancy agreements. Migrant workers will be obliged to let the employer’s representatives in.
“The decree introduces a new requirement for employers. Employers will need to assess migrant workers' command of one of Belarus’ official languages to make sure they will be able to perform their duties. This should be done before concluding a contract. In other words, foreigners applying for certain jobs will need to prove that they have adequate language skills for a particular job before a contract is signed. If their language proficiency level is inadequate, a foreign job seeker will be denied a contract or offered to undergo language courses in Belarus at an employer's expense or at their own expense.”
Another provision of the decree introduces an obligation to familiarize migrants in their mother tongue or in one of the official languages of Belarus with documents detailing their rights, obligations, internal regulations at the workplace, as well as occupational safety rules. A ban on the temporary transfer of migrant workers to another employer is introduced.
“A migrant worker is obliged to comply with the terms of the contract and the rules of stay. Otherwise, the employment contract will be terminated and the period of stay in the host country will be revised. Non-compliance with the decree by the employer will be punished in line with legislation,” Aleksei Begun emphasized.
Employers will need to submit a notice of extension or termination of the employment contract to the local citizenship and migration office using the single portal of electronic services. Such a way of sending information will be available starting from 1 January 2026. It will be the responsibility of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Center for Electronic Services.
“The adoption of this decree was necessitated by the fact that Belarus is set to bring in more foreign workers. The number of migrant workers is increasing, therefore employers should play a bigger role in dealing with foreign workforce,” Aleksei Begun added.
“This decree expands the responsibilities of employers for foreign staff. Employers will be obliged to sign a contract with migrant workers within 30 days after their entry into Belarus or 30 days after receiving a special work permit,” Aleksei Begun noted.
An employer should designate persons responsible for monitoring working and living conditions of migrant workers. These people should visit foreigners at their homes to check their living conditions in order to make sure they keep the property clean and comply with the terms and conditions of their tenancy agreements. Migrant workers will be obliged to let the employer’s representatives in.
“The decree introduces a new requirement for employers. Employers will need to assess migrant workers' command of one of Belarus’ official languages to make sure they will be able to perform their duties. This should be done before concluding a contract. In other words, foreigners applying for certain jobs will need to prove that they have adequate language skills for a particular job before a contract is signed. If their language proficiency level is inadequate, a foreign job seeker will be denied a contract or offered to undergo language courses in Belarus at an employer's expense or at their own expense.”
Another provision of the decree introduces an obligation to familiarize migrants in their mother tongue or in one of the official languages of Belarus with documents detailing their rights, obligations, internal regulations at the workplace, as well as occupational safety rules. A ban on the temporary transfer of migrant workers to another employer is introduced.
“A migrant worker is obliged to comply with the terms of the contract and the rules of stay. Otherwise, the employment contract will be terminated and the period of stay in the host country will be revised. Non-compliance with the decree by the employer will be punished in line with legislation,” Aleksei Begun emphasized.
Employers will need to submit a notice of extension or termination of the employment contract to the local citizenship and migration office using the single portal of electronic services. Such a way of sending information will be available starting from 1 January 2026. It will be the responsibility of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Center for Electronic Services.
“The adoption of this decree was necessitated by the fact that Belarus is set to bring in more foreign workers. The number of migrant workers is increasing, therefore employers should play a bigger role in dealing with foreign workforce,” Aleksei Begun added.
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