The issue of refugees’ access to the job market was debated in the Chamber on Tuesday. The procedure for issuing a temporary occupation authorisation (AOT) should be legally simplified, according to labour minister Georges Engel.
The AOT can be requested by people who are still in the process of obtaining the status of international protection and therefore not actually allowed to work. In 2021, 24 AOTs were issued, while last year the number almost tripled to 70.
Engel will, together with Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean Asselborn, present a text in April that would outline these simplifications. Engel specified in his Chamber speech that these simpler procedures have already been applied, hence even more authorisations will be granted this year. However, this should now be enshrined in law.
It should also be easier for the partners of people from third countries who already work here to work in Luxembourg, Engels underlined. Ukrainian refugees can work more easily, as they have been granted the status of Temporary Protection.
A temporary occupation authorisation can only be requested 6 months after the application for international protection has been made.
