‘EU Blue Card’ adopted for qualified migrants

INQUIRER.net
Posted date: June 01, 2009

MANILA, Philippines—The Council of the European Union has adopted a directive for the issuance and use of the so-called “EU Blue Card” which would facilitate entry and residence of highly qualified migrant professionals into Europe, INQUIRER.net learned Monday.

The directive adopted by the Council on May 25 would be effective in all of EU except the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Denmark. It also did not limit the number of these special residence and work permit cards to be issued to migrants, leaving it to EU member-states to decide this.

In a move to address work shortages throughout the continent, the Council set up the parameters by which EU member-states may allow migrants to stay in Europe between one and four years, or three months longer than their work contract.

EU Blue Card holders, under the rules set by the directive, will enjoy equal treatment as Europeans in working conditions, including pay and dismissal; freedom of association; education, training, and recognition of qualifications; a number of provisions in national law regarding social security and pensions; access to goods and services, including procedures for obtaining housing, information, and counseling services; and free access to the entire territory of the member state concerned within the limits provided for by national law.

Designed to establish more attractive conditions for migrants to work in highly skilled jobs, the directive fast-tracks the procedure for issuing these cards first issued by France a couple of years ago.

Aside from the above-mentioned socio-economic rights, EU Blue Card holders will be entitled favorable conditions for family reunification and movement across Europe and back to their home countries.

“After 18 months of legal residence in the first member state as an EU Blue Card holder, the person concerned and his family members may move, under certain conditions, to a member-state other than the first member-state for the purpose of highly qualified employment,” the Council of the EU said in a statement.

The directive determines the common criteria to be set by the EU member-states for applicants of the Blue Card “without prejudice to more advantageous conditions provided for by national laws.”

After the publication of the directive in the Official Journal of the EU, the member-states will have two years to incorporate the new provisions into their domestic legislation.

There are about a million Filipinos (953,519) in Europe as of December 2007, a tenth (112,990) of which are irregular residents, half (555,542) of which are temporary residents, and a third (284,987) permanent residents.