Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Home Affairs is proposing amendments to the Law on Vietnamese Guest Workers under Contract to streamline administrative procedures, expand decentralisation and accelerate digital transformation as part of efforts to improve the business environment and modernise state management in overseas labour services.
After nearly five years of enforcing the 2020 Law on Vietnamese Guest Workers under Contract, the country has recorded positive results in sending workers overseas. However, amid requirements for governance improvement, digital transformation and institutional reforms, many existing regulations have revealed shortcomings, demanding legislative updates.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has proposed amendments that maintain the law's core policies while focusing on three priorities: decentralising state management, cutting and simplifying administrative procedures, and strengthening the application of digital technologies. The changes are expected to shift regulatory oversight from pre-approval to post-approval inspection, reducing compliance costs for businesses while improving regulatory efficiency.
One of the key proposals is to shorten the processing time for service licences from 20 working days to 15, while also reducing the time required for several other licensing and contract registration procedures.
The draft also proposes eliminating several administrative requirements. Businesses would no longer need prior approval to prepare labour pools for overseas recruitment. Instead, they would notify local authorities and upload relevant information to an electronic management system. Companies winning overseas contracts or Vietnamese investors sending employees abroad would likewise move from an approval mechanism to a notification-based process.
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vu Chien Thang said the new approach would enable enterprises to proactively recruit, train and prepare workers while allowing local authorities to supervise compliance through inspections rather than pre-approval procedures. It is also expected to help eliminate unlicensed intermediaries that illegally recruit workers and collect fees.
The draft also proposes to abolish deposit requirements for enterprises sending workers overseas for vocational training and skills development, helping reduce financial costs and facilitate the development of a highly skilled workforce.
Digital transformation is another major focus of the amendments. Many paper-based documents would be replaced with electronic data, and authorities would retrieve business registration information directly from national databases instead of requiring enterprises to submit copies. Certification requirements for a range of documents would also be removed, with all administrative procedures intended to be handled through the National Public Service Portal and interconnected digital platforms
The minsitry said that the amendments would not alter the law's fundamental policies but would address bottlenecks in administrative procedures, decentralisation and digital transformation.
If approved, the revised law is expected to reduce compliance costs for businesses, make overseas employment more accessible for Vietnamese workers and strengthen state management in line with the country's digital government and digital economy agenda./.
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