What does blue card mean?

The blue card is a work and residence permit in the European Union. It is valid for two years and can be extended by application. It is similar to the green card in the United States and is mainly for overseas immigrants.

A directive issued by the European Union in 2009 to relax the employment of professionals from non-EU countries in EU countries. In August 2012, Germany added the EU Blue Card system to the "German Residence Law" in order to attract more professionals from non-EU countries to work in Germany to make up for the huge gap in technical talents.

Non-EU citizens must meet certain conditions to obtain Germany’s EU Blue Card. First of all, applicants need to provide proof of university graduation or at least "proof of relevant work experience for more than five years." Secondly, you must be employed by a German employer with an annual salary of not less than 53,600 euros; if your occupation is a doctor, engineer or natural science worker, the annual salary threshold can be reduced to 41,808 euros. Most of the cardholders are technical talents who have never lived in Germany.

In addition, according to the law, blue card holders and their families can obtain long-term residence permits after three years, provided that the parties continue to sign a work contract with the employer. If the card holder has good knowledge of German, he or she can apply for a long-term residence permit after two years.

Germany is popular with talents from non-EU countries because it has many large and medium-sized enterprises, a relatively complete welfare system, a large space for development, and it is easy for technical talents to find jobs. Among them, the demand for technical talents is greatest in economically developed regions such as Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and North Rhine-Westphalia.

Just you