Key Points
- Foreign nationals with five years and ICT professionals with three years of relevant professional experience now qualify for an EU Blue Card without needing academic experience.
- The minimum salary for an EU Blue Card is now 5,331 euros (about US$5,707) gross per month.
- Employment contracts can now be six months instead of 12, and the card’s maximum validity has been extended from four years to five.
The EU Blue Card rules in the Netherlands have been updated with many beneficial changes. Recently, the criteria for issuing the European Blue Card have been relaxed, involving several significant changes compared to Directive 2009/50/EC under the revised Highly Skilled Migrants Directive.
The European Blue Card is a residence permit for highly skilled non-EU nationals, which facilitates their entry and stay in EU countries for work purposes.
Eased Admission Conditions
Employment Contract: To acquire EU Bluce Card, the requirement for submitting an employment contract after getting a job offer has been reduced from a period of twelve months to six months.
Salary Standard: Adjustments have been made to the salary threshold. The minimum salary for an EU Blue Card has recently been lowered to 5,331 euros gross per month. This is a change from the previous requirement of 6,245 euros. The new minimum salary now matches the national highly skilled migrant scheme.
Work Experience: Recognition of work experience as a higher professional qualification is now allowed. It means the foreign nationals with five years of relevant professional experience now qualify for an EU Blue Card without needing academic experience. ICT professionals with three years of relevant work experience in the last seven years are also eligible, even without higher education.
Unemployment Periods
EU Blue Card holders who have possessed the card for two years or more are now permitted longer periods of unemployment without losing their status.
Expansion of EU Blue Card
Individuals with international protection status in a Member State can apply for a European Blue Card.
Highly qualified third-country nationals with the right to free movement will benefit from the EU Blue Card, enabling their mobility and work within the EU under similar rules as other eligible nationals.
Long-Term Resident Permits
Absence Periods: To aid the mobility of highly qualified workers, longer periods of absence from the EU than those allowed under Directive 2003/109/EC are now permitted for EU long-term residents who were former Blue Card holders.
Family Reunification: Former Blue Card holders who become long-term residents retain favorable family reunification conditions.
Residence Periods: Periods of residence in different Member States can be combined for easier access to EU long-term resident status.
Mobility for Work-Related Activities
EU Blue Card holders can now engage in specified work activities for up to 90 days within any 180-day period in another Member State.
The required residence period in a Member State before long-term mobility is reduced from 18 months to 12 months. The procedure for long-term mobility has also been unified, allowing family members to join for family reunification purposes.