The government will also give up the practice of using the employment situation in various sectors as a criterion for granting residence permits. Current legislation says this is aimed "ensuring that those already at the labour market are not prevented from finding jobs".
Employers who recruit workers from abroad will still have to obtain residence permits for foreigners they employ.
If a worker is from outside the European Union or the European Economic Area (EEA), his or her intended employer will have to provide officials with a statement that they have first tried to recruit labour from within these 31 states. The EEA includes the 27 EU states plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
If approved by Parliament, the reforms will take effect in 2011.
