The German Federal office for Migration and Refugees recently announced that the minimum annual gross salary requirement for the EU blue card will see a reduction of 0.7% in 2022.
Now, skilled workers will now be able to get an EU blue card at a substantially lower salary, than what was the norm before.
“[In order to obtain an EU Blue Card in Germany, you must] have a minimum annual gross salary of €56,400. A reduced minimum annual gross salary of €43,992 applies to employment in the occupational fields of mathematics, computer science, the natural sciences, engineering and human medicine (not including dentistry),” the Office for Migration and Refugees notes in its updated guidelines for obtaining such a residence permit in Germany in 2022.
What is the EU blue card?
Under the section 18b(2) of the German residence act the EU Blue card is a special residence permit for third-country nationals. EU member states issue the EU blue card and the holder of the card can to move to the EU for the purpose of obtaining gainful employment.
The reason behind introducing the Blue card was to attract qualified and skilled third country nationals to work necessary occupations.
In Germany, the foreigner’s office has the authority to issue the EU blue card. Thus, professionals enter the country on a National visa after which their city’s foreigner office issues them their EU Blue card.
Who can apply for the EU Blue card?
Not everyone can apply for the card, there are a certain set of conditions.
Firstly, you must have a university degree, and in most conditions it’s better if you have a Master’s degree.
Secondly, you must have a concrete job offer from a company in Germany.
Thirdy, the position must be appropriate for a person with your qualifications. (Implying that a person with a university degree cannot apply for the position of, lets say, a Janitor)
Lastly, the annual salary offered for the job role must exceed € 56,400.00 (as of 2022). Moreover, a gross annual salary of at least € 43,992.00 (as of 2022) is the rule for employees in the fields of mathematics, IT, natural sciences, engineering, and human medicine. In such cases, the German Federal Employment Agency must approve your request for employment.
Why Should you get an EU Blue card?
Although there are many advantages to getting the Blue card, the key benefits that one gets are as follows.
- Equal work and salary conditions to national citizens
Even though Germany’s laws prohibit any kind of discrimination of foreigners. This is one of the key problems in other countries where the laws might not be as regulated as Germany. Also, the card holder has access to almost the same employment rights as other national citizens of the country. - Free Movement across the Schengen area
Given that your Blue card is not from in Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus or Croatia. You’re allowed to travel freely across the Schengen area, which essentially is the entirety of Europe. - Social rights, including education, economic, cultural, human, health rights
The holder gets the same rights as nationals, which are quite famously – A LOT in Germany. Notable exclusions are the benefits of Grants, Loans and Housing. - Family Reunification
If you are able to present a work contract that exceeds the duration of 1 year, you can bring your family over to Germany on a Family reunification visa. The entitled family members are the spouse, children, partner, children of the spouse, other dependent relatives. The card holder is the sponsor for the family member’s permit. - Fasttrack PR opportunities
You can apply for the permanent residency permit after 33 months of working in Germany. Furthermore, It takes only 21 months if you have B1 level German skill.
Coming to PR and Citizenship
Here is where things get interesting. Like mentioned above, unlike other developed nations, getting a permanent residency in Germany is relatively a cakewalk. Let’s drift away from the topic of the EU Blue card.
Suppose you enter the country as a Master’s degree student in Germany, more or less, you’d become eligible for permanent residence in about 4 years. So in total, two years of university plus two years of employment and there you have your PR. Additionally, this time can be further shortened if you have a good grasp of the German language, a Goethe B1 Zertifikat would take you to places!
As a PR of the Federal Republic of Germany, you’d have access to every single right that the nationals have. However you cannot cast a vote in German elections.
And after that the citizenship is nothing more than 4 years away. Though the German B1 becomes a mandate here, and you’d have to pass a few tests and voila! You’re a German citizen!
Don’t get me started with the advantages of the German citizenship
If you become a German citizen, you’re allowed to
- Study, work or do business in Germany without restriction.
- Easily live, work or study in any EU nation without applying for a residence permit.
- Travel to 145 countries VISA-FREE.
- You can vote and participate in German politics.
- You’re entitled to receive German social benefits, whenever the need arises.
- Retire in any EU country as per your wish
- And lastly, you don’t have to deal with the German immigration bureaucracy.
- BONUS: At airports you’re allowed to go in the ‘EU nationals’ lanes, which are a lot easier than the lanes for ‘non-EU nationals’.
Back in 2020, Germany introduced the Skilled Immigration Act. As a result, the authorities gave out a whopping thirty thousand visas in the upcoming 9 month. Furthermore, professionals coming from the western Balkan states such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and Albania got most of these visas.
A lot of opportunities
Germany allows the opportunity to normal people like you and me. In my own story, I don’t think I would live the life that I live right now, if not for Germany.
Now, at last the one requirement is you must have a job offer in hand, and let me tell you my friend – it is definitely not as easy as it sounds. People find most of the jobs in Germany through hard work and – to put it in measurable terms – COLD APPLICATIONS!
There’s even a long German word for it ‘verdeckterstellenmarkt’ translating to the ‘hidden job market’. Now, if you’ve made it this far in the article I know you’re a smart chap who’s serious about this stuff.
Luckily for our jobseeker brethren we’ve got the most perfect solution and you can check it out by clicking the button below!
