The EU Blue Card is the most important residence permit for skilled workers with academic training and makes it easy for people from third countries to immigrate to and work in Germany. There are only two requirements:

• Blue Card applicants must demonstrate that they have successfully completed university studies. If they have graduated abroad, they must have their degree recognised in Germany or furnish proof that it is comparable to a degree offered in Germany.
• They must have a work contract or a binding job offer with a gross salary of at least 52,000 euros (2018). For occupations that are subject to labour shortages (e.g. medical doctors and engineers), the minimum salary is just 40,560 euros (2018). In these cases, the Federal Employment Agency conducts a comparability check to establish whether the working conditions (e.g. working time and salary) are equivalent to those for German employees.

The EU Blue Card is issued for an initial period of four years. If the duration of the work contract is less than four years, the EU Blue Card will be issued for the term of the work contract plus three months.

After 33 months of highly qualified employment, holders of the EU Blue card may be granted a German permanent settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis). If the holder of the EU Blue Card has good German language skills, the permanent settlement permit is already granted after 21 months of highly qualified employment.

Family members of EU Blue Card holders are not required to demonstrate German language skills before entering Germany and may immediately work without restrictions.

Residence periods of EU Blue Card holders in other countries can be taken into account when calculating the residence periods that are required for obtaining a long-term residence permit under European law if the residence period in the first country was at least 18 months.

In June 2016, the European Commission proposed a recast of the Blue Card Directive, which may impact the conditions under which the Blue Card is granted under German law. The recast aims to make the Blue Card more attractive as an EU-wide tool for recruiting skilled workers. More specifically, the Commission’s proposal aims to reduce the salary threshold, to make sure that practical qualifications are regarded as being equivalent to formal diplomas and to do away with national regulatory systems governing the immigration of highly skilled workers. At the same time, it aims to improve mobility within the EU and to strengthen the rights of family members. Negotiations on the Commission’s proposal are ongoing.