The Blue Card scheme could enable British nationals to work in EU countries post Brexit without any special agreements in place.

Based on America's Green Card

The EU's scheme – based on America's Green Card and intended to attract highly skilled workers from outside Europe – could provide “opportunities for British nationals to work in the EU even without any special agreement following the Brexit negotiations”, according to the pressure group Migration Watch, which campaigns for a reduction in immigration to the UK.At present, the Blue Card scheme is being expanded and relaxed by Brussels in a bid to attract more foreign skills into Europe. It was introduced in 2009 in all existing EU states with the exception of the UK, Ireland and Denmark, but has been of limited success except in Germany, which currently accounts for 87 per cent of successful applications under the scheme.

Attracting highly skilled individuals

In a bid to breathe new life into the programme, the EU announced last year that it would be changing the criteria for applicants. At the time, Dimitris Avramopoulos, European Commissioner in charge of migration, said, “The revised EU Blue Card scheme will make it easier and more attractive for highly skilled third-country nationals to come and work in the EU and strengthen our economic growth.”Under the proposed new rules, salary thresholds would be lowered and the minimum period for a job offer would be reduced from a year to six months. Blue Card holders would also be able to move to another member state after a year, rather than the current 18 months. Some countries would still be able to apply maximum, annual quotas but existing differences between nations in eligibility criteria would be abolished. According to the EU, the reforms, if implemented, could lead to an extra 32,000-138,000 Blue Cards being issued each year, with the largest increases in France, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden.

An overhaul of the scheme

The Migration Watch paper estimated that in the five EU Blue Card states where most Britons live and work – Spain, France, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium – the new salary threshold range would be between £17,000 and £46,400 a year. At present, salaries have to be at least one and a half times greater than the average in a particular member state.But the organisation added that the current overhaul of the scheme was currently “far from complete”. Nevertheless, Alanna Thomas, executive director of Migration Watch, said, “British citizens hoping to work in the EU post-Brexit need not be concerned about getting a work permit. The EU is in the process of expanding their scheme and easing the conditions.”For related news and features, visit our Brexit section.Access hundreds of global services and suppliers in our Online Directory  Get access to our free Global Mobility Toolkit  

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