The conditions for the EU Blue Card, the EU counterpart of the Dutch highly skilled migrant residence permit, have been adjusted this year. This makes it easier to apply for an (EU) Blue Card instead of a highly skilled migrant residence permit or to switch from highly skilled migrant to Blue Card.

The major advantage of the Blue Card is that the employer does not have to be a recognised sponsor and then does not need to meet these sponsor-requirements. Furthermore, with a Blue Card you can more easily obtain a residence permit in another EU Member State and stay outside the Netherlands for a while. In some cases, the Blue Card also allows you to qualify more quickly for a permanent residence permit as a long-term resident and the holder of the Blue Card and the family members are eligible for lower tuition fees for a study.

Since this year, the salary requirements for the Blue Card for persons over 30 have been lowered and aligned with those for highly skilled migrants, namely €5,331. A lower salary requirement now also applies to recent graduates, namely €4,265. Furthermore, in addition to the previously required diploma in higher education (which does not apply to highly skilled migrants), it is now also possible to obtain a Blue Card without that diploma, but with sufficient work experience – at least 5 years and in some cases at least 3 years -.

This may therefore make it more interesting for highly educated employees and their employers to consider the Blue Card. Scheers Advocatuur will be happy to assess whether the blue card is also appropriate in your situation. You can contact Scheers Advocatuur for this.