EU Pushing Ahead with ‘Blue Card’ Visa

What is the EU Blue Card?

The EU Blue Card will allow highly skilled migrants (and their families) to live and work in the European Union for an initial period of two years. Beyond that time migrants will be able to extend the visa so long as they satisfy certain criteria. Those granted a Blue Card will be able to move between member states for the purpose of work (so long as certain criteria has been met) and may work towards permanent residence. The proposals for the visa presented by the European Commission offer a ‘one track route’ for highly skilled migrants to gain access to the EU labour market.

Why does the EU need a Blue Card?

The aim of the Blue Card is to give EU companies the ability to easily recruit highly skilled workers with niche skills which are difficult to find in the European Union. At present many companies have difficulty finding suitable workers to fill specialist positions within the Healthcare, Engineering & Information Technology Sectors. By creating a unified system (free from internal inta-country administration and red tape) the hope is that the EU can become more attractive to highly skilled workers at a time when many are looking to eastern markets for new opportunities.

Recently the Chief Advisor to the EU Home Affairs Commissioner, Maria Senius, said that \”If we are going to realise our goals in the Europe 2020 strategy, the EU needs to remain open and competitive in the labour market, and we need to create more legal ways for migrants to come to Europe. We are not making these proposals only to be nice to Indian or American businessmen. It is in our interest that companies operating in Europe can have access to the right people with the right skills at the right moment.\”

Criticism of the Scheme

Not only have national governments had to contend with discord from influential groups within their own countries but the EU as a whole has been criticised by African leaders in particular who have described the proposals as ‘a new form of colonisation’. Many fear than the new rules will indeed make the EU more attractive thereby adding to the ‘brain drain’ that many developing countries face.

Commonwealth Contractors

Commonwealth Contractors is a collection of highly skilled professionals from the Commonwealth and beyond. We partner with OISC Registered Immigration Partners capable of professionally representing a Tier 1 Visa Application / Extension and Tier 2 Licensed Consultancy & Associated Trust Partners who may be prepared, where required, to sponsor a doctor on a Tier 2 Visa (formerly UK Work Permit). Commonwealth Contractors also provides updates on UK Immigration News.

To find out more call Commonwealth Contractors now on 0330 390 9021 or Submit your Details and we will get back to you. Please be prepared to send a copy of a recent CV so that we can pass to interested partners