On 29 September 2023, the Minister of Finance and National Planning, Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane (Minister), unveiled the Zambia National Budget for 2024 (Budget), in which he made key proposals relating to immigration permits and expatriate quotas.
The Minister announced a proposal to grant quotas for expatriate employees for enterprises operating in the MFEZs. This is intended to alleviate the onerous immigration and work permit criteria, as well as the lengthy time it takes to obtain these permits, with the caveat that if not addressed, it may perpetuate corruption.
The changes, expected by April 2024, will guarantee an automatic quota for expatriate employees, at whatever level, whose ratio will be based on the total number of jobs created. In practice, this means the higher the number of jobs created, the higher the number of expatriates allowed, and vice versa.
It remains to be seen whether the permits will be given for a specific period, renewable, extendable, or transferable and whether expatriate quotas will be tied to other conditions like the investor’s paid-up capital, as is the case in other jurisdictions. What is clear is that security clearance for proposed individual expatriates will continue to apply.
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