The European Commission has opened legal proceedings against 17 EU member states for failing to bring the revised Single Permit Directive into national law by its May 21, 2026 deadline. The countries named are Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, and Sweden.
What the single permit is meant to change
The single permit is a combined procedure that grants non-EU nationals a work permit and residence permit through one application, instead of two separate processes. The directive was first adopted in 2011 and revised in 2024 to make several changes that matter directly to foreign workers: applications must be decided within 90 days instead of the current 120; workers will no longer be tied to the employer who first sponsored them, and will be able to change jobs, employers, and even sectors under certain conditions; and workers who lose their job will be able to stay in the country for three months while searching for new work — six months if they've been there more than two years, up from two and three months previously.
The revised rules would also make it possible to apply for a single permit from outside the EU or from within the EU if the applicant already holds a valid residence permit — a change from the current system in some countries.
- Transposition deadline missed
- May 21, 2026
- States facing legal action
- 17, including Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Hungary
- New processing deadline (once in force)
- 90 days, down from 120
- Key worker benefit (once in force)
- Ability to change employer without losing status
Why this matters for South and Southeast Asian workers
More than 4.6 million non-EU citizens received a single permit in 2024, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat, making it one of the most heavily used legal channels into the EU labour market. For South Asian and Southeast Asian workers currently applying for, or holding, a single permit in any of the 17 named states, this means the more worker-friendly rules — faster decisions, freedom to change employers, longer job-search grace periods — are not yet in force locally, even though the EU-wide deadline has passed. The Commission has given the 17 states two months to respond before deciding whether to escalate the case, so timelines for actual implementation in each country remain uncertain.
It is quite concerning to see that so few countries have transposed the directive. It shows that, at the end of the day, it is not a top priority for them.
Isabelle Barthès, deputy general secretary, IndustriALL
If you're applying for a combined work-and-residence permit in Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Hungary, or one of the other 13 states named here, don't assume the faster 90-day timeline or employer-switching flexibility already applies — check the current rules in that specific country, since implementation is delayed and inconsistent. This is a procedural and legal story, not a change you can act on yet; it's worth tracking rather than planning around for now.
