Europe Immigration News

The European Union Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee (CLC) is backing a single permit directive which will allow citizens of non-EU countries obtain a work and residence permit through a "one-stop shop". The CLC directive is in keeping with the European Union's proposed single permit blue card immigration scheme for the European Union.

The Danish Immigration Service has changed the length of time that a Green Card can be issued from the previous three-years to 18 months.

According to an article in the Irish Times, Ireland with its relatively open immigration system is more successful in attracting foreign researchers than other European Union countries.

Conor O'Carroll, research director for the Irish Universities Association, said that about 35 percent of PhD students and 38 percent of researchers at major universities in Ireland are foreign. About half of these are from outside the EU, mostly from India, China, and the United States.

The governments of Denmark and Russia have signed a bilateral agreement to facilitate visa issuance for citizens of both nations.

The agreement will remove the need for visas for citizens with diplomatic passports and simplify documentation requirements for the issuance of visas. It will also be possible for citizens of Denmark and Russia to receive long-term multiple-entry visas.

In late spring of this year, the European Parliament adopted a measure to help deal with the problem of an aging population and declining hghly skilled workforce; the so-called Blue Card. Following the example of Countries in other parts of the World, Europe wants skilled immigrants to help alleviate shortages in its labor market.

The EU has had to deal with a falling birth rate and increased competition for skilled worker s from non EU Countries. The EU "Blue Card" will make the EU more attractive for immigrants. Skilled foreign workers will be given the right to live and work in the EU under the Blue Card scheme.