Single permit and shortage occupations: what the new Brussels list changes

You have a specific role to fill and a non-EU candidate in mind. The question that decides what comes next is not the file itself yet: is this occupation on the shortage list of the Region where the work will be carried out, in the version in force today?

In Brussels, the answer has changed for many employers. Since 1 July 2026, the list drawn up by Actiris has gone from 84 to 68 occupations. It has not simply shrunk: 24 occupations have been removed and 8 have been added.

If you are new to hiring outside the EU, start with our article Hiring non-EU workers as an SME: where to start. This one is for employers who already have a role in mind.

Single permit and shortage occupations: what the list changes

To hire a non-EU worker, the employer generally files a single permit application. In Brussels and in Wallonia, when the role appears on the regional shortage list, the employer is exempt from the labour market test: there is no need to show that no suitable candidate could be found locally.

The same hire can therefore be simple or burdensome depending on three things: the job title, the Region where the work is performed, and the version of the list in force when the application is filed. The overall mechanism is explained in our single permit guide for employers.

Brussels: occupations removed, occupations added

Among the occupations removed from the list: pharmacist, ambulance worker, HR manager, employment adviser, buyer.

Among the occupations added: database administrator, ICT integration expert, head chef, car technician.

If your role has just been removed from the list, the exemption no longer applies in Brussels. A file prepared on the basis of the old list must be reassessed before it is filed.

If it has just been added, the simplified route is now open to you. A single permit for a head chef, a car technician or a database administrator in Brussels is no longer prepared the way it was a year ago. A hire you set aside because it looked too burdensome deserves a second look.

Either way, it is better to know before you build the file, not after. The full list, occupation by occupation, is on our shortage occupations page.

Three Regions, three revision calendars

Belgium does not keep a single list: each Region publishes its own, and they do not revise them at the same time.

Region	Authority	Revision	Our database today
Flanders	VDAB	early February	228 occupations, under two separate regimes — up to date
Brussels	Actiris	early July	68 occupations — up to date
Wallonia	Forem	September	56 occupations — updated as soon as the new list is published

Three calendars, three authorities, three publication languages. An occupation can be in shortage in Brussels and not in Ghent. It may have become one in July without anyone telling you.

Hiring a foreign worker for a shortage occupation in Wallonia

If the role is based in Wallonia, the Forem list applies, not the Brussels one, even for a company headquartered in Brussels. What counts is where the work is performed.

Wallonia revises its list in September. If you are preparing a Walloon file right now, check the job title at the time of filing: an occupation on the current list may drop off at the next publication, and vice versa. Our database will include the new Forem list as soon as it is released.

And in Flanders

The 228 Flemish occupations do not all fall under the same regime. Some are exempt from the labour market test, others remain subject to additional conditions. Being "on the Flemish list" is therefore not enough to know which procedure applies: you need to know which list.

Is your occupation in shortage? Three checks

1. The place of work: it determines the competent Region, and therefore the applicable list.
2. The exact job title: the function actually performed must match a title on the list, not a similar one.
3. The version of the list: the one in force when you apply, not the one you looked at six months ago.

Our eligibility simulator runs these three checks: type the occupation, choose the Region, and get your answer in three minutes, without signing up.

Once the occupation is confirmed

Knowing that the role is eligible is not enough to build an admissible file. If your hire requires a single permit, the LEXPAT law firm can assist the employer with the application. Contact us with the job title, the Region and the candidate's profile.

One useful clarification

This article describes a general logic. A job title appearing on a list does not settle everything: how the actual function matches the official title, the place of work, the type of contract and the candidate's residence situation all change the analysis. On a specific case, legal advice upfront costs less than a file restarted from the beginning.