Blue Map of Germany

Colleagues, today, the first of August, in Germany, the Blue Card project came into force, allowing engineers and, in particular, IT specialists to have the opportunity to work in Germany and the European Union, while getting a four-year visa with the right work under a simplified procedure. This project was discussed for a long time, but now received official confirmation. It basically resembles a decade-old Green Card program, but there are several important differences.

Those who think about emigration read on.
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A blue card can be obtained under the following three conditions:

- you are a foreigner who does not have citizenship of countries belonging to the European Union

- you have a completed higher education (obtained in Germany or outside, but equivalent to higher education in Germany) or five years of work in the specialty.

- you have a contract in your hands that provides you with a minimum of 34,944 euros per year (2,912 Euros per month) in the event that you are going to work as a programmer (the same bar is set for scientists, mathematicians, engineers and doctors). In other cases (if you are a builder, say, the bar is 44,800 euros per year).

It also goes without saying that the candidate’s relationship with the law should be in order.

Some important notes

Documents on the card must be filed before entering Germany . Then the question arises - how to resolve the situation if you are invited for a personal interview, but I don’t see any particular problems if the employer makes a regular invitation, with which they give a regular visa, after which they will have to return to Russia and enter again after submitting the documents to the blue card.

Card expiry date. It is set to a maximum of 4 years. If the contract is limited for a period and it is less than four years, then the card will be given for the term of the contract plus three months. It is best to try to conclude an indefinite contract, then the card works to the maximum.

When can I apply for permanent residence? This can be done after 33 months of stay. If you pass the test for possession of German B1, then documents for permanent residence can be submitted after 21 months. Technically, stickers are simply changed in the passport.

How long can you be absent outside the EU with a blue card?
Up to a maximum of twelve months (it is not specified here, per year or how, but it must be assumed for the entire duration of the card)

Is it possible to move from Germany to another country? You can, after 18 months in Germany.

The Blue Card gives the right to travel throughout the EU - in this sense, it works like a Schengen visa.

I have not seen quotas for the number of issued cards anywhere - they will be issued as long as there is a demand for labor, or until the European Union cancels it.

What is nice is that there is no longer a need to check the market for candidates for the same place as it was before. A simple salary plan of € 34,944 immediately gives priority and is the only condition for issuing a card.

Family members (spouses, children), of course, also receive permission to stay in Germany. They do not need knowledge of German at all. The wife, by the way, can also work in Germany - there used to be a two-year ban.

Working under this program, you can change jobs, but in a new job the salary should be no less than the same 35 thousand euros. When changing jobs, you must notify the immigration office. At the time of dismissal, I suppose, the candidate has up to three months to find a new job (but they can easily get to leave Germany and enter again).

In short, that's all. From myself I can advise basic knowledge of German (I did not see any special requirements) - it helps when looking for work on German sites like monster.de, job.de and their ilk. Many highly specialized firms publish vacancies on their sites, without putting them on the portals - if the area is specific. At exhibitions like CeBit, there are usually pavilions where recruiters work - if you are lucky and you are at the right time in the right place, then it makes sense to look there.

Well and good luck, of course!

The same card will be issued or already issued in other EU countries, excluding Denmark, Ireland and England (which is why it is called the EU), but more or less objectively I can only speak about Germany - in other countries there may be some subtleties.

Disclaimer - I'm not a lawyer, so there may be some inaccuracies in the above, but there should not be any fundamental errors.
The source of all the information above is the EU Blue Card

Upd:
Reference to the relevant paragraph of the Aufenth Law: § 19a Blaue Karte EU
According to paragraph 1 b) - if there is no higher education, there should be five years of work experience.