Almost 75,000 work permits for non-EU citizens
Cojocariu Eugen, 19.07.2026, 16:40
The General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) issued, between January 1 and July 7, 2026, some 75,000 work permits for non-EU citizens, amid the staff shortage faced by many Romanian employers.
Most immigrant workers come from Asian countries, and the most sought-after domains of activity include courier services, goods handling and the constructions sector, with the capital city and Ilfov county remaining the main areas of attraction for the labour force. Thus, 27,723 work permits were issued between April 27 and July 7. Bucharest leads the ranking by a wide margin, with 7,036 documents issued, followed by the counties of Ilfov (south, 1,972 permits), Constanța (southeast, 1,160), Satu Mare (north, 866), Suceava (north, 804), Mureș (centre, 731), Timiș (west, 722), Harghita (centre, 670), Iași (northeast, 633) and Sălaj (northwest, 600). An overall number of 12,529 permits were granted in the remaining counties. Most foreign workers came from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Morocco, Turkey, Ethiopia and Turkmenistan.
Also, between January 1 and April 26, 2026, IGI boasted a high volume of activity, with 47,069 work permits issued. The top regions according to the number of permits issued during this time span include Bucharest with 10,891 documents and Ilfov County with 3,369. These are followed by Constanța with 1,773, Sălaj with 1,549, Suceava with 1,462, Mehedinți (south-west) with 1,303, Neamț (north) with 1,295, Satu Mare with 1,277, Covasna (centre) with 1,235 and Harghita with 1,168 permits. A total of 21,747 work permits were issued in the other counties of Romania. During this time span, most workers came from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Morocco, Turkey, Turkmenistan and the Philippines.
Foreign workers, be they newly admitted or already integrated into the labour market, remain concentrated in the area of logistical support activities, with Asia being the main region providing human resources for Romanian companies.