YEREVAN, MAY 3, ARMENPRESS. More than 300 foreign nationals were granted work permit-based residency status in the first 4 months of 2022 through the simplified online procedure at workpermit.am, the Migration Service Chief Armen Ghazaryan told lawmakers in parliament when asked by Vice Speaker Hakob Arshakyan to present the procedure.

Ghazaryan mentioned that the amendments into the law on foreign nationals took effect January 1, 2022. “These amendments facilitated the procedure of providing work permit-based residency status in Armenia, and the entire process was digitized. Prior to the legislative amendments it took two different administrative agencies up to 2 months or more to carry out the process, whereas now the process is carried out through the digitized electronic platform, workpermit.am, and takes maximum 30 days,” Ghazaryan said.

Ghazaryan further noted that in accordance to Article 96 of the Eurasian Economic Union Treaty, citizens of member-states are exempt from the obligation of receiving the permit or residency status and can use the platform to receive a certificate proving legal residency. This process takes maximum one week.

Chief Ghazaryan described these changes as “significant improvements”. He said they are now considering the possibilities of further simplifying the procedures for highly qualified specialists.

Arshakyan emphasized that foreign specialists can get involved in companies through the simplified procedure and get the work permit and residency permit online.

Ghazaryan added: “In the first 4 months, more than 300 of such residency statuses were issued, we have more than 500 applications.”