Working in Belgium after graduation

A Search Year is a brand-new residence permit status offered to third country students and researchers who’ve graduated from a higher education institute in Belgium (minimum education level 5).  

Following the transposition of EU Directive 2016/801, third country (non-EEA) students or researchers may stay on the territory of a member state for a period of at least 9 months after they have completed their studies or research in that specific member state. 

In Belgium, the purpose of this new residence status is to give non-EEA recent students and researchers the opportunity to actively seek employment on the Belgian Labor Market after graduation or completion of a research project. 

“Actively seeking employment” is considered as both finding a job with a Belgian company or establishing an independent professional activity, ie. setting up a business, in Belgium. 

• International students from non-EEA (non-EU) countries who’ve graduated from a Belgium university from the 2020-2021 academic year onward with an associate degree, a bachelor or master diploma. 
• International students from non-EEA (non-EU) countries who’ve taken part in a mobility program to Belgium (ex. Erasmus Mundus).  

• Students must apply at the very latest 15 days before the expiration of their current residency permit. So, for students whose residency permits expire on 31 October (which should include most), the absolute deadline would be on 16 October. A rule of thumb is the sooner the better! Don’t wait until the last minute to ensure that you aren’t missing any documents and you apply before the deadline. 
• All Search Year (zoekjaar) residence permit requests can be made at the local commune where the international student has registered his/her address. 

• A valid passport  
• Current residence permit 
• Proof that foreign national has obtained a diploma of at least qualification level 5 
• Proof of health insurance (such as registration at a mutuality) 
• Proof of solvency either a new financial guarantee form (Annex 32) or a blocked account with at least 679 euro per month (a total of 8.148 euro for 12 months)
• 1 passport-sized photo (max 6 months old) 

Please note: After the request is made at the commune the applicant will no longer hold the status of “student”. Fees typically associated with this change of status from “student” to “graduate in a search year” are waived.  

• The permit will be valid for a maximum of 12 months, counting the day on which the graduate applies. Please keep in mind that this permit is non-extendable. 
• Upon application, the graduate will receive an annex 15 from the commune and immediately be granted full rights to the Belgian labor market. That means that while they wait for the issuance of the actual permit, the graduate can already start legally working fulltime with the annex 15. 

During the Search Year, the graduate may not apply for unemployment benefits or welfare (OCMW). The act of applying for any sort of financial support from the Belgian government might result in an early or forced termination of your Search Year. 

During the Search Year the graduate must: 

• Actively search for employment or 
• Actively take steps to establish an independent professional activity, ie. a business 

If the graduate cannot provide proof that he/she is looking for a job or setting up a business during the Search Year, Immigration has the right to terminate the residence permit early.  

Employment is not guaranteed. The graduate is responsible for securing his/her own employment opportunity before this expiration of his/her Search Year residence permit. 

• Most sectors are considered, but please keep in mind that the goal of the Search Year is to land employment which will translate into long-term opportunity. 
• Once the graduate has found employment, the next step is to apply for a Single Permit (gecombineerde vergunning) with the corresponding Region. This also applies for graduates who undertake an independent professional activity.  

No. During the Search Year, graduates are no longer considered ‘students’ and must therefore find new accommodation. 

There are a number of jobseeker websites (Thomas More Career Center, LinkedIn, Indeed, StepStone, Monster) where graduates can a create profile and look for work. It is the sole responsibility of the graduate to secure his/her own employment opportunity.  
 

Thomas More offers a blocked account procedure for international student graduates applying for a Search Year residence permit. The purpose of the blocked account is to prove your financial solvency when residing in Belgium on a Search Year permit. 

Blocked account Search Year 2024-2025: 850€ x 12 months + 250€ administrative fee = €10.450

Please contact our international support team to set-up your Search Year blocked account.