Work Permit Extensions
Dangeline Escudero
Employers who keep migrant workers under contract will not be penalized for having them without approved work permits, as long as they prove that they are still in process at the Ministry of Labor and Labor Development, and that the extension has been requested before the expiration of the work permit.
Requests for work permit extensions must be submitted to the Ministry of Labor and Labor Development at least sixty (60) calendar days prior to the expiration of the term established in the work permit.
It is necessary to remember that Article 17 of the Labor Code states that every employer shall maintain Panamanian workers, or foreigners of a Panamanian spouse, or with 10 years of residence in the country, in a proportion of not less than 90% of the ordinary workers, and may maintain specialized or technical foreign personnel not exceeding 15% of the total workers.
NOTE: If the foreign worker does not have a work permit, significant fines may be imposed if the conditions set forth in the law or the criteria set forth by MITRADEL, as reflected in this bulletin, are not met.
