Bosnia Starts Crackdown Against Pakistanis Misusing Their Work Permits

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has canceled the work visas of 39 Pakistani nationals as part of a crackdown on visa misuse by foreign workers.

The Service for Foreigners’ Affairs (SFA) of Bosnia and Herzegovina has disclosed that the Pakistani workers exploited their BiH work visas to travel to Croatia and then to other EU countries, including the Schengen Area.

Bosnian authorities have warned that they will revoke work permits for those who misuse them to illegally transit from Bosnia to other nations. Furthermore, SFA is currently reviewing the cases of 14 Bangladeshi nationals as part of the ongoing operation.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is targeting misuse of work visas as it seeks to address labor shortages by attracting migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal. Despite employment opportunities within BiH, some migrants have used their visas to travel to Croatia and further into the EU.

Foreigners seeking employment in Bosnia and Herzegovina must first enter on valid visas. They then need to obtain work permits through the Employment Service offices, which employers must apply for on their behalf. Once issued, these permits are valid for one year and can be extended.

In the first half of this year, Bosnia and Herzegovina issued 3,230 work permits. The UNIDAD Employment Agency reported about 3,500 permits granted in the first 11 months of 2023, excluding those in BiH without permits under specific conditions.

The country has seen a doubling of foreign workers since 2020, though their numbers remain small compared to Croatia’s 140,000. The most significant labour shortages are in manufacturing, catering, and construction, with many workers coming from Serbia, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Kuwait.