EU Blue Card

Have you heard of the EU Blue Card?

EU Blue Card- residence conditions for high-skilled foreign workers
The directive establishes more attractive conditions for third-country workers to take up highly qualified employment in the member states of the Union, by creating a fast-track procedure for issuing a special residence and work permit called the “EU Blue Card”.
The Blue Card will facilitate holder’s access to the labour market and entitle them to a series of socio-economic rights and favourable conditions for family reunification and movement across the EU.
The directive determines the common criteria to be set by the EU member states for applicants for the Blue Card without prejudice to more advantageous conditions provided for by national laws.
The period of validity of the EU Blue Card will be between one and four years, with the possibility of renewal. A Blue Card may also be issued or renewed for smaller periods in order to cover the work contract plus three months.
Under the rules set by the directive, EU Blue Card holders will enjoy equal treatment with nationals of the member state issuing the Blue Card, as regards:
– working conditions, including pay and dismissal;
– freedom of association;
– education, training and recognition of qualifications;
– a number of provisions of national law regarding social security and pensions;
– access to goods and services, including procedures for obtaining housing, information and counselling services; and
– free access to the entire territory of the member state concerned within the limits provided for by national law.
After eighteen months of legal residence in the first member state as an EU Blue Card holder, the person concerned and his family members may move, under certain conditions, to a member state other than the first member state for the purpose of highly qualified employment.
Following its publication in the Official Journal of the EU, the member states will have two years to incorporate the new provisions into their domestic legislation.

The directive will be effective in all of EU member-states except the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Denmark.

Full details here.

CC-licensed image by Valéry-Xavier Lentz

Survey

E-mail from Erasmus Mundus Students and Alumni Association (EMA):

Dear current EMA General Assembly delegates,

The Erasmus Mundus Selection Board will be meeting on 19 June 2009 and the EMA will have a representative at the meeting. The meeting is designed to provide support to the Executive Agency of the European Commission in their selection of Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses (EMMCs) under Action 1 of the Erasmus Mundus 2009-2013 programme. The EMA would like to know what EMA members see as important in the selection of future programmes and would like to provide recommendations to the Erasmus Mundus Selection Board based on the past experiences of EMA members.

The EMA would greatly appreciate it if you could take the time to fill in the survey on the link below. The survey must be completed by Wednesday 17 June (at the latest) for your recommendations to be included in the Board discussions. Please feel free to forward this email or the link to the survey to your fellow EMMC students or alumni. We apologise for the late notice of this request and thank you for your time.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=ckFKalVPSUZ5alYwYm84QlhlZmg5dUE6MA..

Kind regards

Peter Bentley
EMA Policy

Welcome to the UK videos + Pre-Departure Briefing

The British Council recently uploaded videos of Filipino students talking about aspects of their lives in the UK. View them here.

If you’re studying in the UK soon, catch the Pre-Departure Briefing on July 24, 5pm at the British Council Office. Details and registration instructions here.

[CC-licensed photo by musanggala]