Lithuania has revised its immigration and work visa framework to draw extra expert overseas staff from 2026, following shortages in about 110 occupations throughout key sectors of the economic system.
This reform is supposed to deal with labour shortages throughout the Lithuanian economic system and to simplify authorized entry for overseas professionals.
This positions Lithuania instead for professionals going through tightening visa guidelines in conventional locations like Germany, Canada, and the UK.
Beneath Lithuania’s revised immigration framework, most overseas nationals are actually required to acquire a brief residence allow for employment earlier than beginning work within the nation. The usage of short-stay employment preparations, which beforehand utilized in some sectors, has been discontinued, with purposes now processed by means of a centralised digital system managed by migration authorities.
The federal government has additionally scrapped sector-specific labour quotas and changed them with a single nationwide labour quota. This implies employers throughout all industries now draw from the identical allocation when recruiting overseas staff.
As soon as the annual quota is exhausted, firms might proceed to rent overseas professionals provided that they meet greater wage thresholds set by the authorities.
Wage necessities are designed to guard labour requirements and differ by occupation and visa class. Increased thresholds apply to specialised routes such because the EU Blue Card.
Information from Lithuania’s Employment Service exhibits that about 110 occupations are categorized as scarcity or high-demand roles for 2026, reflecting workforce gaps throughout a number of sectors relatively than remoted professions.
The scarcity checklist is reviewed yearly based mostly on emptiness ranges, employer demand, and broader workforce developments.
The applying course of begins with securing a job provide from a Lithuanian employer authorised to rent overseas nationals. You can begin your search right here https://uzt.lt/en.
Following the job provide, the employer submits a piece allow request to Lithuanian authorities. As soon as accepted, the applicant proceeds to use for a visa by means of a Lithuanian embassy or consulate of their residence nation.
Lithuania gives a number of work visa routes tailor-made to completely different skilled profiles, together with expert employee visas for scarcity occupations, the EU Blue Card for extremely certified specialists, seasonal work visas, startup visas for entrepreneurs, and intra-company switch visas for multinational staff.
Candidates are usually required to submit a sound passport, an employment contract, the accepted work allow, proof of {qualifications} and expertise, proof of medical health insurance, and lodging particulars. Biometric information submission can also be required earlier than ultimate approval.
Overseas professionals looking for work alternatives can discover platforms comparable to Lithuania’s Employment Service portal, the Worldwide Group for Migration job listings, CVOnline, LinkedIn, EURES, and EuroBrussels. Roles marketed with references to work permits or worldwide candidates are usually aligned with Lithuania’s work visa framework.
Household migration is now a core factor of Lithuania’s workforce technique. Expert staff might apply to convey spouses and kids as soon as they show steady employment, ample revenue, legitimate medical health insurance, and applicable housing.
Relations are issued residence permits, and in lots of instances, spouses are granted the fitting to work, supporting quicker integration and long-term settlement.