Skilled migrants targeted with EU jobs Blue Card

A new EU Blue Card visa proposal could open up the European jobs market for skilled construction professionals from non EU countries.
The European Commission has proposed setting up a new ‘Blue Card’ system to attract much-needed highly skilled workers to the EU. The aim of the proposal is to get the best brains from non-EU countries to come to Europe rather than automatically opting for the US.“Highly skilled workers from all over the world are welcome in the European Union," said commission president José Manuel Barroso, announcing the proposals. The Brussels proposal envisages a fast-track scheme for foreign workers so long as they have a minimum one-year work contract guaranteeing earnings of at least three times the national minimum wage, professional experience and health insurance.Thousands of skilled migrants from Asia and Africa could be handed visas to live and work in Europe, under the new plan and cardholders would have the opportunity to set up permanent residence after five consecutive years of living in any EU state.However not all countries are fully behind the proposal. Ireland will not automatically participate in the scheme but has to indicate within three months whether it would like to take part. The UK, with a huge skills gap in construction, is likely to opt out of the scheme, as it sets its own policy on immigration. The EC has stressed it will not dictate to member states how many migrants they must take.Globally, only 5% of skilled migrants currently migrate to the EU, compared with 85% of the world’s unskilled migrants.The blue cardholders will also be able to add up their work periods in different member states so that they can eventually be granted long-term residency in the EU