About 6460 work permits were issued to foreign nationals between August 2023 and January 2025, Minister for Immigration Viliame Naupoto revealed in Parliament last month. The figures were presented in response to a written question from Opposition Member of Parliament Joseph Nand, who requested an update on work permits issued to expatriate workers. The data showed that majority of permits were issued in 2024, with 4819 approvals granted during that year. A further 1641 permits were issued in the latter part of 2023, while 1121 were approved in January, 2025. Mr Naupoto said 774 employers were registered within the system across various organisation types. Local private companies made up the largest category with 444 registrations, followed by companies limited by guarantee with 74, and foreign companies with 58. The construction industry dominated employer registrations with 155 registered businesses, while the tourism sector had 81 registrations, and manufacturing recorded 80. Since the implementation of the Document Management System in September 2024, the standard maximum processing time for work permits has been 21 working days, provided all required documentation is complete. Feedback: kaneta.naimatau@fijisun.com.fj