Vietnam Rolls Out Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP, Tightens Foreign Worker Visa Rules

(VIETNAM) — Vietnam’s Ministry of Home Affairs updated the country’s foreign worker application system on Friday, folding labor-demand approval into a single work permit filing and cutting standard processing time to 10 working days under a wider overhaul tied to Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP.

The same day’s policy shift came as Vietnamese applicants dealing with the United States faced tighter procedures of their own, including a new pre-interview registration rule from the U.S. Mission in Vietnam and broader U.S. screening measures that include social media and financial checks.

MOHA’s administrative update, known as Decision 346 and dated April 10, 2026, regrouped application types inside the digital portal to reduce filing errors. It also integrated the “foreign labor demand approval” step into Form 03, turning what had been a separate requirement into part of one work permit application.

That change sits within Vietnam’s move to shift labor administration to the National Public Service Portal. The stated aim is to reduce a multi-step hiring process for foreign experts that previously took over five weeks.

Under the new framework, foreign specialists can work for up to 90 cumulative days per calendar year without a full work permit. The earlier rule had allowed 30 days per trip, with a maximum of 3 trips a year.

Processing times also changed. Vietnam now standardizes work permit processing at 10 working days, down from 15–20 working days.

Another benchmark in the 2026 changes affects recruitment steps before a permit filing. The job posting period is now 5 business days, compared with 15 calendar days previously.

For employers, the practical effect is a shorter and more centralized filing path through the online system. For foreign workers, especially those in finance, tech and science, the revisions may widen access to work permit exemptions for the first time.

Vietnam’s changes arrived alongside new requirements from the United States for immigrant visa applicants in the country. In an April 6, 2026 update, the U.S. Mission in Vietnam told applicants that registration in the online visa system will become mandatory before interview day.

“Effective May 4, 2026, our office will turn away any applicants who fail to register their appointment in the online visa system at least 5 business days before their interview date.”

Applicants appearing at the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City must use usvisascheduling.com to register their appointment. Those who do not complete that step will be denied entry for the interview.

The deadline creates a fixed pre-interview requirement of 5 business days. Previously, there was no fixed online registration rule.

That adds another procedural step for families and workers moving through immigrant visa processing in Vietnam. It also gives the online visa system a more central role in screening applicants before they arrive at the consulate.

U.S. authorities also tightened vetting standards for foreign nationals. In a March 30, 2026 statement, USCIS said it was applying stronger screening rules that reach beyond standard document review.

“USCIS is implementing a series of executive orders. that mandate strict screening and vetting of foreign nationals seeking entry. including increasing social media and financial vetting.”

For Vietnamese applicants, those checks now form part of a wider U.S. national security protocol in place as of March 30, 2026. The measures affect people seeking entry to the United States, adding closer review of online activity and finances to the immigration process.

The U.S. shift also extends to temporary worker visas. USCIS announced on March 20, 2026 that the statutory cap for the second half of FY 2026 had been reached for H-2B visas, affecting seasonal workers.

Supplemental allocations for the rest of 2026 are being released in three phases. The third phase, covering employment start dates from May 1 to September 30, 2026, opens for filing on April 24, 2026, according to a USCIS alert published in the USCIS Newsroom.

That deadline matters for employers and workers planning seasonal jobs tied to the later part of the fiscal year. For Vietnamese workers seeking those visas, timing now carries more weight as the remaining H-2B slots are split across phased allocations rather than left in one pool.

Taken together, the changes in Hanoi and Washington show two governments remaking separate parts of the same mobility chain. Vietnam is trying to shorten and consolidate hiring approvals, while the United States is adding earlier registration and broader vetting before travel.

The contrast is sharp. Vietnam’s system now promises 10 working days for permit processing, while U.S. immigrant visa applicants in Vietnam must complete registration at least 5 business days before an interview or risk being turned away.

The numbers tell the story of how procedures changed in 2026. Work permit processing fell to 10 working days from 15–20 working days, the short-term exemption rose to 90 days per year from 30 days per trip with a maximum of 3 per year, the job posting period dropped to 5 business days from 15 calendar days, and the registration deadline for U.S. immigrant visa interviews became 5 business days before the appointment.

Decision 346 marks the latest step in Vietnam’s implementation of Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP, which overhauled labor management. By consolidating foreign labor demand approval into Form 03, the ministry removed one of the steps that had forced employers to move through separate administrative stages.

The regrouping of application categories in the digital portal aims to address another recurring problem: filing errors. Centralizing options inside the platform could reduce rejected or misdirected submissions, especially for employers handling multiple types of foreign labor cases.

The policy may carry the biggest effect for sectors that rely on outside specialists for shorter assignments. Finance, tech and science were identified as priority sectors where U.S. and other foreign workers may now qualify for work permit exemptions in Vietnam.

That is a notable shift for businesses that need short-term expertise but do not want to wait through a full permit cycle. A specialist who can work up to 90 cumulative days in a calendar year without a full work permit gives employers more room to deploy talent for projects, troubleshooting or transfers.

Vietnam’s reforms also place more weight on digital administration. The National Public Service Portal now sits at the center of the country’s effort to move away from a fragmented and paper-heavy process that had stretched hiring over several stages.

The United States, by contrast, is relying more heavily on up-front digital compliance and expanded review. The immigrant visa registration rule makes online confirmation mandatory, and the enhanced vetting policy brings social media and financial review into sharper focus for foreign nationals.

Neither side’s changes stand alone for Vietnamese workers and employers. A company in Vietnam may now move faster to hire or exempt a foreign specialist, but that same worker could face tighter review if the next step involves U.S. travel, an immigrant visa appointment, or a seasonal worker filing under the H-2B program.

Official information on the U.S. visa appointment requirement appears on the U.S. Mission in Vietnam website. USCIS updates on H-2B allocations and other worker visa changes are posted through the USCIS Newsroom, while Vietnam’s policy updates tied to Decree 219 appear on the Vietnam Government Portal.

For now, employers, workers and visa applicants face a 2026 system defined by shorter timelines on one side and stricter deadlines on the other. The clearest warning came from the U.S. Mission in Vietnam: “Effective May 4, 2026, our office will turn away any applicants who fail to register their appointment in the online visa system at least 5 business days before their interview date.”