# Do future employers see blue card applicants differently from EU citizens?



## satish90 (10 mo ago)

I know that blue card holders who want to change jobs have to go to the immigration office and show the new employment letter and get approval.

But is there something the new employer also has to do to support this? As far as the new employer is concerned, am I (as a blue card holder already in Germany) just like any EU citizen applying for the job?

The reason I ask is, in the USA a lot of companies don't even interview visa holders because it costs them money and time to sponsor the candidate's visa even if the candidate is already working for some other company on a visa. Will we face similar situations in Germany?


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

satish90 said:


> As far as the new employer is concerned, am I (as a blue card holder already in Germany) just like any EU citizen applying for the job?


No, Blue Card holders do not enjoy all the privileges of EU citizens. 



satish90 said:


> in the USA a lot of companies don't even interview visa holders because it costs them money and time to sponsor the candidate's visa even if the candidate is already working for some other company on a visa. Will we face similar situations in Germany?


German employers do not have to pay government fees to hire foreign citizens and it is relatively easy for a German employer to hire a highly qualified foreigner for a fair salary. 

The main obstacles skilled foreigners face are due to unscrupulous employers offering positions with dumping wages for which the authorities are not allowed to issue work permits. 

You should also be aware that many small companies operate in German and foreigners who can't speak fluent German are often at a disadvantage, especially when it comes to networking.


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## satish90 (10 mo ago)

*Sunshine* said:


> No, Blue Card holders do not enjoy all the privileges of EU citizens.
> 
> German employers do not have to pay government fees to hire foreign citizens and it is relatively easy for a German employer to hire a highly qualified foreigner for a fair salary.


Thank you..

So in practice, companies don't reject non EU citizens *solely on the basis of their blue card status*? This is assuming paying more than the required salary is not a problem.

In USA, the company has to pay an attorney, pay the immigration office, do paperwork and also inherit some compliance work (like reporting to the immigration office if the employee is fired or laid off) if an H1b visa holder joins them. Therefore, many smaller companies hesitate to hire people who need any kind of visa support. I just wanted to understand how this compares with the German system.


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