What is the European Blue Card and who can apply?
As we have learned from the stories published so far, each country has its own migration policy, of which visas and residence permits are the direct results. These are often the effect of political decisions and agreements between countries which determine, on one hand, who has the right to legally enter their borders, and on the other, to open the gates when in need of either un-skilled or skilled workers. It is common for the European states, for example, to opt for the programming of entry flows of seasonal and non-seasonal non-European workers when in shortage of labour.
Nowadays, the European Union is facing a demographic challenge. In 2022 it has registered the lowest number of live births of the last decades, and with an ageing population, this is resulting in a gap of professionals in key sectors. Europe’s demand for highly skilled workers rises and it recently revitalized a particular residence permit that has been in place since 2009: the European Blue Card.
As Alejandra’s story showed us, the “Blue Card” is a specific permit for qualified workers that is directly connected to the company’s recruitment. This has been very much used in Germany, that issued the majority of all EU Blue Cards, but it is valid in all the European states except for Denmark and Ireland. Each member state has its own criteria, but generally those that are eligible to apply are students or highly qualified and skilled workers like researchers, vocational trainers, entrepreneurs with a university degree or a professional qualification. This latter has been introduced by the European Commission’s overhaul adopted in 2021 that looked at the need to fill the gap of specialised technical personnel in the European labour market.
The Blue Card is an entry channel that allows the recruitment from abroad. Before applying it is essential to have a contract of employment and in many cases, it is the employer that has to deal with the whole procedure indicating both the proposed employment contract and the annual salary that should meet a minimum threshold that varies from one state to another. The employment must be related to the applicant qualification and the person needs to have travel documents and a health insurance coverage for the entire period of stay. Some states maintain stricter rules regarding the release of the Blue Card but once obtained, it grants a permanence that goes from 1 to 4 years with the possibility to renew the entire period. Infect, it mostly attracts workers looking for long-term opportunities in Europe.
So why has it not been as effective as initially hoped?
In its first version, it did not have a great appeal infect, between 2013 and 2020 it only represented 1.3% of the total EU work and residence permits. It was seen as more restrictive than already existing national work permits, the application process was very complex and employers, according to the data collected, did not really understand their advantages. But, most importantly, the promised Schengen-type mobility was not met. The improved Blue Card scheme launched in 2021 on the contrary aimed at attracting workers. This new version – partially inspired by the US green card model – focuses on the free movement within the Schengen area, on local-equivalent salaries and working conditions and it represent an almost direct path to permanent residence. Infect, in many EU states it is possible for Blue Card holders to seek permanent residency within one to two years. The amendments reduced the minimum contract length and level of salary and long-term EU residents, that were former blue card holders, can now stay outside Europe up to two years without affecting their residency status.
These new rules facilitate the employers, able to feel a temporary gap or to take talents from other member states. And, the simplification of the visa application process, speeds up the recruitment. On the other hand, there are also safeguards for the employee, infect the employer should adhere to specific employment duration conditions and submit a declaration of employment. The hardest part is to find the vacancies and get a job offer from abroad.
One of the most particular things about the Blue Card is that, even if it answers to the shortcoming of European workers, it is requested to employers to conduct labour markets tests before hiring a foreign worker. The principle behind this rule suggests that employers should first search for national workers, among EU citizens and third-country nationals already residing in the country, and only when they do not find any, migrant workers could be admitted, as a last resort solution. The so-called “Labour Market Test” is widely requested and done by employers themselves or public employment services. In Italy, for example, the employer must check with the competent Employment Centre that there are no other workers on the national territory available to fill the job for which they intend to recruit the worker abroad. The presence of a person on the territory that could fill the vacancy can therefore be a reason of rejection of the Blue Card. Another reason can be also the fact that the home country lacks qualified workers in that specific sector.
On of the most cost-related issues to migration, is living far away from family. For a migrant person in Europe, it can be very difficult to ask for family reunification and this could be finally obtained after decades. On the contrary, the Blue Card makes this easier. Infect, it guarantees the right to bring family members that have to apply for residence permits that will last as long as the Blue Card. They can have the possibility to work in Europe opening a way also for their careers.
The Blue Card is for sure an instrument that opens a new range of opportunities for people that invested on their education and professional career and want or dream about working and living in Europe. But, this also shows that when there is the political will to take some decisions and make someone’s life easier, this is possible. By the way, in each country there is a maximum number of non-European people that can enter through the Blue Card remembering the fact that it is an incentive, but it remains linked to the European political and economic needs and benefits.