# EU:Blue Card



## Leo28

Hi all,
I'm currently doing my MSc in Mechanical Engg in UK and I'm graduating next month... I was following up the updates about EU's Blue card and recently I read that it's in effect from Aug 1st... I did my undergraduation in India in Mechanical Engg and I have 2 yrs of Work Experience in the industry (including 1yr of work ex at Ford). I would like to know the job scenario for Mechanical engineers at germany? Will they take the 2 yrs of work ex into consideration for the Blue card? I'm yet to register for German classes..Not knowing german be a barrier in considering my application?.. Pls advice..

Thanks a lot!


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## rdeman

Yes the EU Bluecard is in effect.... I suggest you read this blog..
.
I cannot enter any URLs directly, as I am a new member, but google for "geekmadel Applying For An EU Blue Card"


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## Leo28

Thanks rdeman...

I read through those sites.. It says that u need an equivalent degree and a job offer.. but how to aply for jobs in germany? I found a website (pls google EU Blue Card network and the first link) which lets u post ur resume and the employers will look into it.... Other than that is there any website/ options I can look into to apply for jobs there ? Learning German is a good thing, right? 

Thanks!

P.S.I'm unable to post links as I'm a newbie


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## ALKB

Leo28 said:


> Thanks rdeman...
> 
> I read through those sites.. It says that u need an equivalent degree and a job offer.. but how to aply for jobs in germany? I found a website (pls google EU Blue Card network and the first link) which lets u post ur resume and the employers will look into it.... Other than that is there any website/ options I can look into to apply for jobs there ? Learning German is a good thing, right?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> P.S.I'm unable to post links as I'm a newbie


The demand for mechanical engineers has picked up but it very much depends on which industry we are talking about.

To apply, you could contact big companies in your field directly - you know better than I which global players to contact.

Try web sites such as Jobs & Stellenangebote mit der Online Jobsuche finden | Jobbörse Monster.de or Jobbörse StepStone: Jobs und Stellenangebote

German for mechanical engineer is Maschinenbauingenieur, by the way. If you search for the English term, the likelihood to find an employer ready to sponsor non-EEA nationals might be greater.

If you are determined to move to Germany, learning German is a key factor. To be honest, even though you have two years work experienced, which is good, you are a recent graduate and unless you have some extraordinary niche skills, most employers will expect at least basic German skills.

This is what came up when searching 'mechanical engineer':

Mechanical Engineer Jobs

Please note that in Germany a good, detailed cover letter is important. The CV should be clearly structured and to the point. German employers also expect an application picture - a very good portrait photograph a bit bigger than passport size (think yearbook picture) of you wearing professional clothing and looking friendly and competent. The photo goes into the upper right corner of your CV.

Good luck!


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## irfank_2

i registered my self to EU Blue Card Network.
now its demanding 29 euros for documents verification.
is it real or scam?


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## sreekanthv_82

Yes. I too tried it. At one section it says "The applicant must meet the ISCED education criteria (Directive 2009/50/EC) to apply for the EU Blue Card; diplomas must be approved before they are added to your profile." When trying to upload the diploma/degree it asks for payment for 29 Euros. Is this site legitimate? Anybody used it already ? Please share your comments.


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## sreekanthv_82

liju84 said:


> What site is this? As far as I know u need a job to apply for blue card (at least in Germany).Also u need to apply in the foreigners office physically in Germany.


Yes. This website is not for applying blue card visa. It is just like a job portal where we create our profile for the prospective employer to see. As part for creating the profile, one need to upload his academic degree. The website says the degree has to be approved by them, for which you load the scan copy of degree + pay 29 euros. Please go through the site EU Blue Card Network
I checked in sites like scamadviser, it says the website is not looking suspicious. If any of our forum members used it, please let us know if it is genuine.


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## dkzzzz

*Do not pay Blue Card network*

Do not pay Blue Card network 30 euros to confirm your diploma. It is a completely useless action. They will contact you with baiting messages about someone looking at your resume ,so you MUST rush and pay 29.99 to confirm your diploma or else you miss opportunities. This is complete BS. Every country requires separate submission of all your documents to the local office, so opening your profile on Blue Card Network is 100% useless. Paying money to them is 100% waste. Don't do it.


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## sreekanthv_82

@dkzzz, thanks for your info. This site is spamming me with message to complete my profile.


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## sandeepkhaira

One option to move to germany is keep searching for the job and start learning german. After you get the job, based on salary offered and university degree you hold you can apply for blue card or work permit. Other option is apply job seeker visa, but coming on job seeker visa is helpful only if you have decent experience because german employers prefer to hire experienced candidates. It becomes difficult to get a job without experience.


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## dkzzzz

*Salaries or soft-slavery EU way*

LH1004 May 25 8.24 


Do not expect to be paid the same as locals in EU. You will be working for minimum allowed wage, which is around 37,000Eur /year. The employees next to you will be making double your salary because they are whiter than you. Even in USA where H1B is an ongoing scam they don't rip off migrant workers like they do in good old Europe. Demand equal treatment!!! 

Considering that cost of living in Western Europe is relatively high and taxes are ridiculously high: you will be living like a poor person while your employer will be getting rich by mercilessly exploiting you due to lack of proper regulations or their enforcement in Europe.

You know why Europeans do not trust each other? Because they steal from each other and never get any punishment for that. The laws are soft and police is non-existent. Europeans try to take advantage of each other all the time. Now that they have internet nothing will stop a Euro thief.

You have to learn their useless local languages or else! Majority of Europeans don't speak any other language, but their mother's tongue. They like to boast about their education, but judging by English language proficiency they have nothing to be proud of. Remember Europe ends in Germany, if you have ever visited or read about Scandinavia do not assume that it is representative of the rest of EU. It is not! Southern and Central Europe are tribal, small-minded communities isolated from each other by prejudices and language.

Scandinavia is what people think when they speak highly of Europe, however Europe in essence is Belgium; small-minded like Dutch, disheveled like Wallonians.


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## g_n_a

dkzzzz said:


> LH1004 May 25 8.24
> 
> 
> Do not expect to be paid the same as locals in EU. You will be working for minimum allowed wage, which is around 37,000Eur /year. The employees next to you will be making double your salary because they are whiter than you. Even in USA where H1B is an ongoing scam they don't rip off migrant workers like they do in good old Europe. Demand equal treatment!!!
> 
> Considering that cost of living in Western Europe is relatively high and taxes are ridiculously high: you will be living like a poor person while your employer will be getting rich by mercilessly exploiting you due to lack of proper regulations or their enforcement in Europe.
> 
> You know why Europeans do not trust each other? Because they steal from each other and never get any punishment for that. The laws are soft and police is non-existent. Europeans try to take advantage of each other all the time. Now that they have internet nothing will stop a Euro thief.
> 
> You have to learn their useless local languages or else! Majority of Europeans don't speak any other language, but their mother's tongue. They like to boast about their education, but judging by English language proficiency they have nothing to be proud of. Remember Europe ends in Germany, if you have ever visited or read about Scandinavia do not assume that it is representative of the rest of EU. It is not! Southern and Central Europe are tribal, small-minded communities isolated from each other by prejudices and language.
> 
> Scandinavia is what people think when they speak highly of Europe, however Europe in essence is Belgium; small-minded like Dutch, disheveled like Wallonians.


I haven't read so much poppycock in all my life. Do you even know where Europe is on the map of the World?

Please don't troll the forums.


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## g_n_a

sandeepkhaira said:


> After you get the job, based on salary offered and university degree you hold you can apply for blue card or work permit.



It is your employer who has to arrange your work permit and Blue Card. You don't have to apply for it.


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## dkzzzz

g_n_a said:


> I haven't read so much poppycock in all my life. Do you even know where Europe is on the map of the World?
> 
> Please don't troll the forums.


I was born in Europe and lived 19 years in US before returning to EU 3 years ago. I am the white employee making double of my immigrant co-workers at this moment, while working for one of the largest Corps in the World.

P.S. Who says "Poppycock" anymore?


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## g_n_a

dkzzzz said:


> LH1004 May 25 8.24
> 
> 
> Do not expect to be paid the same as locals in EU. You will be working for minimum allowed wage, which is around 37,000Eur /year. The employees next to you will be making double your salary because they are whiter than you. Even in USA where H1B is an ongoing scam they don't rip off migrant workers like they do in good old Europe. Demand equal treatment!!!
> 
> .


First off, nowhere in Europe is 37,000 Euros/year the minimum allowed wage. The real Europe, that is.

The minimum allowed wage varies between 1900 Euros per month (in Luxembourg) and 187 Euros per month (In Bulgaria). Even the number for Luxembourg is way less than the 37000 Euros you have imagined.

Eurostat - Tables, Graphs and Maps Interface (TGM) table

And for your information, I am not white, have been working in the EU for the past 19 years, and have never earned less than my white collegaues for doing the same job. In fact, in some jobs that I had, I was actually earning MORE than them as I was paying LESS taxes as an expatriate. I've heard the same from other colored people.


So if your 'World's largest corporation' is paying White employees more than the coloured immigrant ones, it is surely not in Europe or would have had its managers hauled off to jail for breaking EU regulations a long time ago.

You probably work in the middle east. What you say is quite prevalent there.


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## ISJ

Dear All 

Please let me know, can start up a business(company) after getting a contracted Blue card in Italy..?

will there be a issue for the Visa status ...?

R


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## ALKB

ISJ said:


> Dear All
> 
> Please let me know, can start up a business(company) after getting a contracted Blue card in Italy..?
> 
> will there be a issue for the Visa status ...?
> 
> R


A business in Germany? No. Your Italian BlueCard would be limited to a specific job in Italy.

Whether you'd be allowed to start a business in Italy while working your BlueCard job would be an Italy specific question, but I personally doubt it.


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## FrenchSettled

Anyone with experience of working with the EU Blue card for up to or more than 3 years?


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## FrenchSettled

I read this about the EU Blue card

Amongst many exceptional advantages gained by becoming an EU Blue Card holder, presented below you may find an overview of the key beneficial components:

Equal work and salary conditions to national citizens,
Free movement throughout EU,
Social rights, including education, economic, cultural, human, health rights,
Family reunification and
Permanent-residency rights.

All benefits except for housing, loans and grants are provided to the EU Blue Card holders.

EU Blue Card holders are allowed to go back to their home countries or other non-EU states for a maximum of 12 consecutive months without losing the EU Blue Card ownership.

You can apply for the permanent residency permit after 33 months of working in the first hosting state, or 21 months if B1 language level knowledge is achieved.


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## Nononymous

dkzzzz said:


> Scandinavia is what people think when they speak highly of Europe, however Europe in essence is Belgium; small-minded like Dutch, disheveled like Wallonians.


That is completely fabulous. I will use it regularly.


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## FrenchSettled

My request for French Blue Card has been approved. I await the card now.


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## exclamation

For reference, new foreign labor law will be in effect from Jan 2020. to mid 2022. which would enable workers to spend up to 6 months in the country on a "job-searching" visa.


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## ALKB

exclamation said:


> For reference, new foreign labor law will be in effect from Jan 2020. to mid 2022. which would enable workers to spend up to 6 months in the country on a "job-searching" visa.


There has been a jobseeker visa for Germany since 2012 or 2013...


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## Ximon

FrenchSettled said:


> I read this about the EU Blue card
> 
> Amongst many exceptional advantages gained by becoming an EU Blue Card holder, presented below you may find an overview of the key beneficial components:
> 
> Equal work and salary conditions to national citizens,
> Free movement throughout EU,
> Social rights, including education, economic, cultural, human, health rights,
> Family reunification and
> Permanent-residency rights.
> 
> All benefits except for housing, loans and grants are provided to the EU Blue Card holders.
> 
> EU Blue Card holders are allowed to go back to their home countries or other non-EU states for a maximum of 12 consecutive months without losing the EU Blue Card ownership.
> 
> You can apply for the permanent residency permit after 33 months of working in the first hosting state, or 21 months if B1 language level knowledge is achieved.


May I ask what you mean by "free movement throughout the EU"? Do you mean that blue card holders for say France are not limited to the 190/180 rule when traveling outside of France?

Also, when you say "You can apply for the permanent residency permit after 33 months of working in the first hosting state, or 21 months if B1 language level knowledge is achieved", is this benefit applicable to all blue card holders in the EU or only to certain countries e.g. Germany?


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## Ximon

Please one last question:

When you say "EU Blue Card holders are allowed to go back to their home countries or other non-EU states for a maximum of 12 consecutive months without losing the EU Blue Card ownership.", do you mean that a blue card holder can travel back to their home country for any consecutive 12 month periods no matter how many times? Will these 12 month absences affect a person's permanent residency or citizenship rights in the future?

Thanks for your help.


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## Bevdeforges

Ximon, the EU blue card is a general category of visa/residence permit - but the specific conditions that apply to the card vary by the country issuing the card.


> May I ask what you mean by "free movement throughout the EU"? Do you mean that blue card holders for say France are not limited to the 190/180 rule when traveling outside of France?


No. Those on a "blue card" are subject to the same 90 days in any 180 day period rules that apply to anyone with a long-stay visa. 



> "You can apply for the permanent residency permit after 33 months of working in the first hosting state, or 21 months if B1 language level knowledge is achieved", is this benefit applicable to all blue card holders in the EU or only to certain countries e.g. Germany?


Immigration is one area that the EU does NOT control in the various countries. Each country makes its own rules for immigration. So, just because Germany has a particular requirement for permanent residence, it does NOT mean that any other EU or Schengen country has the same deal.


> "EU Blue Card holders are allowed to go back to their home countries or other non-EU states for a maximum of 12 consecutive months without losing the EU Blue Card ownership.", do you mean that a blue card holder can travel back to their home country for any consecutive 12 month periods no matter how many times? Will these 12 month absences affect a person's permanent residency or citizenship rights in the future?


Again, it depends on the country in which you are residing, but generally speaking, if you are absent from the country for a long period of time (like a year), your residence permit will become invalid - if only because you are no longer resident there. Residence is judged by a variety of things - in Germany, registration with the local Rathaus (among other criteria), in other countries, it may involve filing tax returns or being able to show utility bills covering the time period.


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## ALKB

Bevdeforges said:


> Immigration is one area that the EU does NOT control in the various countries. Each country makes its own rules for immigration. So, just because Germany has a particular requirement for permanent residence, it does NOT mean that any other EU or Schengen country has the same deal.


The European bit about BlueCard is basically just that time spent om BlueCard in one country can be counted towards PR in another country when also there under that country's BlueCard.

But even with PR OP would still be subject to the 90/180 rule. 

We tend to forget it, but EU nationals are also subject to that rule. If we want to stay longer than 90 days in an EU country we don't hold nationality of, we have to exercise treaty rights = be employed, self-employed, study or be self-sufficient and we have to comply with the law of the land regarding its laws for residents, like enrolling in the country's health system.

We can stay in an EU country for up to 6 months when jobseeking but again, this pretty much comes under self-sufficiency, as we aren't entitled to benefits without having worked in that country.

So, you can only get free movement by having an EEA nationality or being married to someone with an EEA nationality and even then there are rules.


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## ALKB

Ximon said:


> Will these 12 month absences affect a person's permanent residency or citizenship rights in the future?
> 
> Thanks for your help.


Once you have PR, it really depends on the individual country as to what could lose you that status. Usually, long absences, criminal convictions, etc. can be reasons.

The 12 months possible absence under BlueCard would no longer apply, since you would no longer be under BlueCard once you have acquired PR.

Citizenship law is separate from immigration law and each country has its own laws regarding required residency, dual citizenship, language requirements...

Last time I checked, the minimum residency requirement in any EU country was about five years unless married to a national of that country. Sometimes it's eight or ten years and yes, 12 months absence may or may not trip you up there. Malta seems to be an exception and very relaxed about residency but I understand that one needs to invest a rather large amount of money to get an easy passport.


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## Rahul_UK183

Hello,

I am a non-EU national based in the UK on ICT work permit which is now coming to an end. 

Thus my employer is now ready to relocate me to the EU, preferably to Germany.

Please can someone advise of the visa conditions in Germany? I am conscious I do not want to be stuck on an ICT type like UK visa which wouldn’t allow me to switch jobs locally in Germany or the EU in general. I am also conscious I don’t want a visa which wouldn’t lead to a PR eventually.

What are my visa options? If Germany is a problem is there another EU country which I could consider, I will be working remotely so eventually job switch and PR are my main priority. 

Please can someone advice. Many thanks


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## koo78

*Blue card application*

Dear all,
I am now working for a German company since December 2017.
Actually, I am now holding a 3 years working visa since December 2017.

Although my gross salary has been met fully the requirement for blue-card since September 2017, I haven’t applied for blue-card – actually I didn’t know the existence of blue card when I applied for a 3 year working visa in Germany.

Also I am meeting other requirement for blue-card
- Education background (I have 2 master degrees from the schools admitted by German government)
- Occupation type (IT)
- A2 German level
- etc.

In conclusion, my question is:
- Can 23 months (while I hold a 3 year working visa since December 2017) be also retroactively applied to the period of blue card?, so I could apply for permanent residence next year once I have blue card.
I look forward to your reply and supports.
Thank you.


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