VisaMauritius Professional permits retain a limited MUR 30,000 renewal transition
October guidelines distinguish the standard MUR 50,000 salary test from one renewal for qualifying active permits governed by the older criterion.
Official source date: 2026-10-08
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
The standard salary test and the transition answer different questions
Mauritius Professional Occupation Permit applicants should distinguish a new application from renewal of an active permit issued under the earlier salary criterion. The Economic Development Board's August 2026 update states that the minimum basic monthly salary is MUR 50,000 across sectors. Its guidelines updated on 8 October separately preserve one renewal for an active Professional permit governed by the MUR 30,000 criterion. This current follow-up does not describe that limited protection as a permanent alternative threshold.
For a new recruit, the practical starting point is the proposed basic salary and the employer-sponsored Professional route. For an existing holder, it is also the criterion governing the active permission and whether the limited renewal has already been used. A headline salary figure cannot establish those historical facts. Ask the employer to reconcile the current permit and original approval with the proposed renewal before assuming that either every holder must immediately meet the new threshold or every older holder can renew indefinitely below it.
Use the October checklist and the employer’s electronic application
The October guidelines require the employer to submit the Professional application through the National Electronic Licensing System. They identify the signed contract and job description, passport, CV, qualifications, employer undertaking and company documents among the evidence. The contract should state the basic salary and duration. The renewal application should be submitted at least one month before permit expiry; the guidelines describe a subsequent renewal approval-in-principle email valid for 30 days.
These are separate milestones. Set a preparation date before the renewal window, obtain the employer's application confirmation and act on the actual approval letter rather than a predicted processing time. A document prepared for the initial application may no longer demonstrate current employment terms. Where the company, job or contract has changed, compare the facts with the current checklist before selecting renewal. The published guidelines require a fresh application when switching employers, so a renewal transition should not be presumed to transfer automatically to an unrelated new employment case.
Older official pages should not determine the current application plan
The Department of Home Affairs' general residence-and-visa page still describes an older Professional salary requirement exceeding MUR 60,000 and a maximum three-year Occupation Permit. Meanwhile, the Passport and Immigration Office's occupation-permit page also describes a three-year Professional maximum and contains older legislative references. These pages remain useful official contact points, but their numerical summaries conflict with the October EDB guidelines.
The current guidelines instead describe a Professional permit lasting for the employment contract or ten years, whichever is shorter. That is a maximum tied to the contract, not a promise of ten years for every applicant. Use the dated EDB document for the application criteria and seek confirmation where an older page or saved form would produce a different result. The August EDB announcement also distinguishes employed professionals from investor and self-employed categories, whose investment and business-income tests are separate. Do not apply an investor turnover test to an employee or assume owning shares settles the correct immigration category.
Check both the application charge and the contract-length permit fee
The October checklist identifies a non-refundable US$50 application charge. EDB's published cost-of-doing-business guide separately lists Professional permit fees by contract length: US$400 for up to two years, US$500 for more than two and up to three, US$800 for more than three and up to five, and US$1,000 for more than five and up to ten. Use the current application payment instructions to confirm the applicable band; the application charge and permit fee are different items.
The same cost guide distinguishes the Occupation Permit from the separate Ministry of Labour work-permit process. That distinction matters when an employer quotes a work-permit processing charge for a Professional OP application. The official business-licensing platform lists Occupation/Residence Permit and Work Permit as separate services. Confirm the selected facility, contract period and household applications before payment. Keep the permit expiry, limited salary transition, submission receipt and approval deadline in one record. The sources reviewed establish the relevant criteria and published charges, but do not guarantee an approval date or establish that every existing permit qualifies for the transition.
