As a measure for business facilitation, Mauritius allows foreigners various opportunities to obtain residence permit in Mauritius, in the form of Occupation Permits (OP) and Young Professional Occupation Permits (YPOP), to work and live on the island. In this respect, the Government of Mauritius has made the process for the application of OP and YPOP more efficient and has decided to streamline the procedures for foreigners looking to work and live in Mauritius.
The measures which have recently been adopted are as follows:i
- With regards to OP:
- Occupational permits which were previously only allocated to those arriving in Mauritius on a business visa, is now being offered to those on a tourist visa as well.
- Applications for OP from students would only be considered after completion of their studies. However, employment should be related to their field of studies.
- With regards to YPOP:
A holder of YPOP will be allowed to switch to an OP category with another company only after termination of his/her current contract of employment with his/her current employment.
A holder of YPOP will be allowed to switch OP category under his/her current valid contract of employment.
Benefits of Switching from YPOP to OP:
While the YPOP provides the holder a residency permit for only three years, certain categories of OP provides the holder a residency permit of up to ten years or for the duration of their contract of employment;
OP holders, compared to YPOP holders, also have the opportunity to work in wider fields, such as Artificial Intelligence, Biotechnology, Fintech, Robotics, Financial Services, Information Technology.