The Highly Skilled Migrant Program (hereinafter referred to as the Program) was established by the Order No. 156 of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated 6 June 2024 “On measures related to the involvement of highly skilled foreigners and stateless persons in labor activities in the Republic of Azerbaijan” (hereinafter referred to as the Order). The main goal of the Program is to promote the employment of highly skilled foreigners and stateless persons who meet modern requirements in the Republic of Azerbaijan, to direct their knowledge and skills to the socio-economic development of the country, as well as to form a flexible management and coordination mechanism in this area, and to expand the opportunities for highly skilled foreigners and stateless persons to engage in paid labor activities in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

In order to ensure the reception and response of applications of participants in the aforementioned Program on the basis of the "one-stop shop" principle, the Highly Qualified Migrant Portal (hereinafter referred to as the Portal) www.pass.gov.az has been launched by the State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Portal, which is the main service channel of the program, operates in four languages - Azerbaijani, Turkish, English and Russian in order to serve a wider audience. The Portal also enables the sharing of professional profiles of highly qualified migrants based on their consent, thereby facilitating the more efficient search for personnel that meet the needs of employers.

In order to implement paragraph 2.2 of the Order, the “Rules for Assessing a Person as a Highly Qualified Migrant” and “Criteria for Assessing a Person as a Highly Qualified Migrant” were approved by the Resolution No. 99 of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated 3 April 2025, which determine the procedure for considering a person as a highly qualified migrant, the institutions participating in the process, the assessment criteria and the score limits for the criteria. Based on the aforementioned documents, the institutions participating in the process of considering a person as a highly qualified migrant, the assessment criteria and the score limits for the criteria are shown in the table below:

Within the framework of the Highly Skilled Migrant Program, foreigners and stateless persons are assessed as highly skilled migrants by the authorized state bodies based on the abovementioned criteria, and finally, the points are summed up and a final score is obtained. If the relevant state bodies have a positive opinion about the person who has scored 70 out of a possible 100 points as a result of the assessment, foreigners and stateless persons are considered highly skilled migrants.

The recognition of foreigners and stateless persons as highly qualified migrants is formalized with an electronic document, and foreigners and stateless persons are provided with an electronic document by receiving a notification at their electronic cabinet and email addresses.

The electronic document is issued for a period of 5 (five) years. Upon the expiration of this period, it is re-evaluated in accordance with the above-mentioned Rules upon the application of a highly qualified migrant. In order for the electronic document to come into force, foreigners and stateless persons must, before arriving in the Republic of Azerbaijan, but no later than 1 (one) year, upload copies of their foreign documents attached to their application to the Portal after apostille or legalization, except for cases directly recognized in accordance with international treaties to which the Republic of Azerbaijan is a party.

The scope of benefits for the highly qualified foreigners and stateless persons whose applications have been positively finalized within the framework of the program and their family members is determined by the Migration Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Thus, according to Article 26 of the Migration Code, foreigners and stateless persons who are winners of the Program can enter the country by obtaining an entry visa for a "business visit" by submitting an electronic document confirming their status of highly qualified migrants. Also, in accordance with Articles 45.1.4-1 and 49.2 of the Migration Code, highly qualified migrants can obtain a permit for temporary residence for a period not exceeding 3 years in the country at the shorter processing time. Although the fact that the stay of foreigners and stateless persons outside the country for more than 90 days out of 180 days during their temporary residence in the Republic of Azerbaijan is a basis for the cancellation or refusal to extend their permits, this requirement does not apply to highly qualified migrants, according to Article 50.3 of the Code.

In addition, in accordance with Article 52.1.7 of the Migration Code, a highly qualified migrant who has been temporarily residing in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan for the past 2 years without interruption may apply for a permanent residence permit in accordance with the legal procedure. In accordance with Article 53.1.7 of the Code, the highly qualified migrants applying for obtaining a permanent residence permit (extension of its term) are exempted from submitting the documents proving that they have sufficient funds to cover the minimum needs of themselves and their family members who come with them.

Also, when processing these applications, highly qualified migrants are not checked for their eligibility for other rights and obligations, as well as for their knowledge of the state language stipulated by the laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

At the same time, according to Article 64.0.20 of the Code, highly qualified migrants are not required to obtain a work permit if they work in the field of specialism.

The program also provides a number of benefits for family members of foreigners and stateless persons who are considered highly qualified migrants. Thus, according to the Migration Code, family members of highly qualified migrants can obtain temporary and permanent residence permits in the country in shorter period of time. Family members of highly qualified migrants include the person's spouse; children under the age of 18; children who have reached the age of 18 and unable to work; and their dependent parents. The spouse of a highly qualified migrant and their children under the age of 23 can obtain a work permit in a shorter period of time, regardless of the labor migration quota.