Fast-Track Entry to Antwerp for Foreign Diamond Workers
December 01, 25
(IDEX Online) - The Belgian government is relaxing rules on foreign diamond sorters and polishers to address a desperate shortage.
Manufacturers in Antwerp say there are scarcely any candidates locally for these vital roles.
The Flemish government has responded by fast-tracking the process by which skilled foreigners can enter the country to work.
From 1 January 2026 they can apply for a combined work and residence permit (single permit) without having to demonstrate a shortage in the local labor market.
"To remain competitive as a diamond trading centre, our companies must be able to hire diamond polishers and sorters from outside Europe quickly and easily, and this decision now makes that possible," said Karen Rentmeesters, CEO of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), which had pushed for the move.
Diamond polishers and sorters have been added to the government's list of medium-skilled occupations for which there is a structural shortage.
Local candidates are scarce due to an aging workforce and a lack of new entrants from training programs.
The shortage had threatened Antwerp's status as a global diamond trading hub. Trade volumes in the city fell 25 per cent in 2024 to $24.4bn from $32.5bn the previous year, according to AWDC figures.