Member States Increase EU Blue Card Salary Minimums
The European Union Member States implementing the EU Blue Card Directive have published the new minimum salaries required from EU employers to pay to third-country citizens they wish to hire.
The threshold salaries have increased again, and the relevant authorities of each Member State have asked employers to comply with them when hiring non-EU citizens through the Blue Card Scheme, starting from January 1, Germany, a leading country in hiring third-country citizens for both shortage and non-shortage occupations, has increased the minimum salary requirements for first-time applications and for renewals as well, as follows:
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non-shortage occupations: from €55,200 to €56,800 annual salary
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shortage occupations: from €43,056 to €44,304 annual salary
According to Corporate Immigration Partners (CIP), a group of immigration attorneys and legal professionals, the new salary requirements impact individuals who are applying for the first time or the renewal of their EU Blue Card from January 1.
“The minimum salary requirements do not apply to individuals who received an EU Blue Card prior to January 1, 2021,” the group notes in a press release.
The press release also notes that the changes apply to applications lodged after January 1, 2021, and to pending applications filed before the end of 2020 with a contract that begins on or after January 1, 2021.
The Netherlands has also published the new salary thresholds, which have also marked an increase from a monthly salary of €5,403 to €5,567.
“The wage of foreigners already holding an EU Blue Card or Highly Skilled Migrant permit do not have to be raised to meet the 2021 salary level. Only if a renewal must be filed, the new salary threshold must be earned,” advises Newland Chase, a Dutch-based immigration firm.
The EU Blue Card scheme was created in 2009 in a bid of the EU to attract highly-qualified workers from non-EU/EEA countries and grant them the right to reside and work in an EU country. The sole EU members not participating are Denmark and Ireland.
In order for a third-country national to obtain this card, they must prove they have higher professional qualifications, including a recognized university degree, an employment contract/job offer with a salary above the average in the EU country where he/she is applying.
The EU Commission had presented a proposal for the reform of the EU Blue Card directive back in 2016, and after the same institution presented a proposal on the New Pact on Migration and Asylum in September 2020, the Parliament and the German Presidency of the Council relaunched negotiations on the Commission 2016 proposal.
