European Union Blue Card

An article from Deutsche Welle | Europe Agrees to Blue Card for Skilled Migrants

European Union officials agreed to develop a so-called Blue Card, a fast-track work visa they hope will attract skilled migrant workers from devleoping countries. Engineers and health care workers are in high demand.

In a bid to attract high-skilled workers from developing countries, the European Union will push forward a Blue Card scheme, an EU official told Reuters news agency.

The Blue Card, which will be good for up to four years, will speed up the application process and make it easier for workers to bring families, get housing and acquire long-term resident status.

The EU hopes that the coordinated system for allocating work permits will allow the EU to compete with other Western countries for educated migrants such as technology workers and hospital staff. As Europe grows older, the shortage of skilled professionals is expected to increase.

Currently, skilled workers make up less than 2 percent of migrants in the EU. That’s compared with 10 percent of migrants in Australia, 7.3 percent in Canada and 3.2 percent in the United States, according to EU data.

Restrictions on placement

The Blue Card would allow an immigrant to work in one EU country. After the first 18 months, the worker could then move to another country, but would still have to apply for a new Blue Card within a month of arrival.

Some say that these limitations, insisted on by countries such as Germany, will make the scheme less attractive as the card will not allow Blue Card job seekers to move freely within the EU.

“It is clearly a step in the right direction but I don’t expect it to be a big success because if you compare it to the United States, a similar title gives access to the whole US market,” Jakob von Weizsaecker, a German labor market specialist with the Brussels-based Bruegel economic policy think tank told Reuters.

…and finally we are getting in the following paragraph answer to the question that everybody had – WHEN -> it will come into force in mid-2010!

EU ministers are expected to endorse the Blue Card scheme before the end of 2008 and it will then come into force by mid-2010. New EU countries such as the Czech Republic insisted on the delay, since their own citizens are not yet allowed to work in all EU countries.

An Article from Reuters AlertNet by Ingrid Melander; edited by Paul Taylor | FACTBOX-EU “Blue Card” aims to lure skilled migrants

European Union envoys agreed on Wednesday on a fast-track Blue Card scheme to attract highly skilled migrant workers from developing countries, in a bid to compete with the U.S. Green Card.

Here are the main features of the European system:

• The Blue Card will offer candidates speedier work permits and make it easier for migrants’ families to join them, find public housing and acquire long-term resident status.

• After 18 months of working with a Blue Card in one EU state, an immigrant may move with his/her family to work in another EU state, but must apply for a new Blue Card there within a month of arrival.

• To be eligible for a Blue Card, migrants must be offered a job with a gross annual salary of at least 1.5 times the average wage in the EU state concerned — falling to 1.2 times average earnings in areas with strong labour gaps.

• Migrants must have the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree, or at least five years of professional experience of a comparable level, to apply for a Blue Card.

• Governments may refuse to issue the Blue Card citing labour market problems or if national quotas are exceeded.

• Each EU state will decide how long a Blue Card will be valid, with a maximum of four years. It remains valid for at least three months if the migrant loses his or her job.

• High-skilled foreign workers make up 1.7 percent of migrant workers in the EU, compared with a share of 9.9 percent in Australia, 7.3 percent in Canada and 3.2 percent in the United States, EU data show.

• The scheme enters into force 30 months after EU governments endorse it in the coming weeks, an EU official said.

Lastly, find attached the following documents from European Parliament:

1. Proposal for a Council Directive on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of highly qualified employment
2. Proposal for a Council Directive on a single application procedure for a single permit for third-country nationals to reside and work in the territory of a Member State and on a common set of rights for third-country workers legally residing in a Member State

EU Parliament Press Release

The proposed European Blue Card scheme for skilled immigrants will pass a crucial vote in the Civil Liberties Committee in early November. The EU is facing a skills shortage of 20 million over the next two decades – especially in engineering and computer technology. Ahead of the vote, which was postponed from 13 October at the last minute for procedural reasons, we spoke to Ewa Klamt of the EPP-ED group who is guiding the measure through parliament.

Last October the Commission proposed the Blue Card scheme to make it easier for skilled migrants to come to Europe. At present there are 27 different visa regimes in place.

The card would act as a work and residency permit for 2 years and can also be renewed. Family members will also be allowed into the EU whilst individual countries would be able decide for themselves how many skilled migrants to admit. By way of comparison the US Green Card allows permanent residency for 10 years and allows people to work and travel freely in America.

Speaking to us ahead of the committee vote Ewa Klamt stressed the need for skilled migrants. She said that in her native Germany “there is a lack of 95 thousand engineers” and that “the education system had only produced twenty thousand.”

She also warned of the need for Europe not to lose out on skilled labour saying that “50% of skilled migrants from Maghreb states go to the US or Canada, only 5.5 % come to EU.”

On the wider political need for the measures she was emphatic: “we have always said we need the possibility of a legal migration. If you want to stop illegal migration, you can only close the door if you open up the door for legal migration.”

Defining “highly qualified”

How to define a “highly skilled” individual is a key issue. MEPs on the Civil Liberties Committee support Ms Klamt’s view that there should be two possibilities. It could either a higher education qualification – meaning at least 3 years of studies – or higher professional qualification, attested by evidence of at least five years of professional experience.

I find it quite strange that this is still under discussion – so much time went, but they are still discussing the basics…

How to avert a brain drain

Many have voiced a fear that Europe will take the best and brightest from Africa and other parts of the developing world in a modern day “brain drain”. Ewa Klamt told us that “we say that in areas and sectors vital to achieving the UN millennium goals – like health and education – which are vital to developing countries we must restrict ourselves from plundering their essential workers.”

A possible compromise that could emerge is that EU countries may reject a Blue Card application to avoid brain-drain in sectors suffering from a lack of qualified personnel in the countries of origin.

Regarding the salaries to be paid to migrants, Ms Klamt told us that “we have put down that it has to be 1.7 times of the gross monthly or annual average wages under national law which is different in each country.”

In early November MEPs in the Civil Liberties Committee will give their vote on the Klamt report on the Blue Card. For this piece of legislation the parliament is involved under the Consultation procedure. In November the full parliament will vote on the agreement reached.