Employment for refugees and asylum seekers

Asylum seekers can start working three months after filing an asylum application, if their application has not been resolved yet and the delay is not attributable to the applicant. The authority in charge of the asylum application is responsible for granting a work permit.

After the recognition of the refugee1 status, you and your reunited family members have free access to the labor market and can be employed, self-employed or work without special working permit. The employer will employ you under the same conditions as Slovenian citizens.

Refugees can register as jobseekers at the Employment Service of Slovenia. You can register with a labor office which you choose yourself depending on where you are seeking employment or depending on the proximity of your place of residence. List of the regional and local labor offices is available on the following website (English language). Instructions on how to fill-in and submit the registration form are available here (English language).

At the labor office you will be appointed an employment counsellor specialized in providing support to the refugee. Employment counsellor will provide you with the necessary information and help you make an employment plan.

You can find more information about employment in Slovenia on the government website (infotujci.si/en/persons-under-international-protection/employment-and-work/registration-in-the-register-of-unemployed-persons) (Slovenian and English language).

As an active jobseeker, registered at the Employment Service of Slovenia, you have a right to social support


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1. The term refugee on this page includes both international and subsidiary protection statuses, as per the International Protection Act of the Republic of Slovenia (Zakon o mednarodni zaščiti – ZMZ-1).

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