In 2023, 4.3 million people moved to the EU from non-EU countries. Another 1.5 million moved between EU countries. While the EU works to control illegal migration, some countries actively seek highly-skilled workers.
The EU Blue Card is one the mechanisms for attracting highly qualified workers from outside the EU. In 2023, around 89,000 non-EU professionals were granted a Blue Card, with the vast majority issued by Germany. This number has been rising in recent years according to Eurostat.
The European Commission introduced several updates to make the Blue Card more attractive to third-country nationals and employers. However, experts and scholars remain cautious about whether the Blue Card alone is enough to attract top talent.
So, which EU countries issue the most Blue Cards? Is it good enough to attract talent? And how do experts explain the large differences between them?
EU Blue Card numbers on the rise
The number of EU Blue Cards issued by Member States has risen sharply in recent years—from 20,979 in 2016 to 89,037 in 2023—marking more than a fourfold increase, or over 300% growth in seven years.
“It was a relatively unknown residence permit for highly qualified workers from outside the EU with a high salary,” Tesseltje de Lange, Professor of European Migration Law at Radboud University, told Euronews Business.
In 2016, the European Commission launched a recast of the Directive in hopes of abolishing national schemes and to offer workers more of the benefits of intra-EU mobility.
“Since, the permit has become more known, which partly explains the steady increase.” she added.
She also noted that many EU countries face significant labour market shortages, and in some cases, the Blue Card is used as a tool to attract international talent—helping explain the increase in its use.
Germany leads EU Blue Card surge with 78% share
“The main reason for the rise is the number of Blue Cards issued by Germany,” Dr Almina Besic from Johannes Kepler University Linz, Associate Professor Dženeta Karabegović from University of Salzburg, and Prof Andreas Diedrich from University of Gothenburg, told Euronews Business.
They explained that Germany is facing labour shortages across multiple sectors, with some sectors particularly affected, and the Blue Card plays a central role in the labour migration policy in Germany.
According to Eurostat, Germany issued the most EU Blue Cards in 2023—69,353, accounting for 78% of the total. It was followed by Poland with 7,402 (8%) and France with 3,912 (4%).
Lithuania ranked fourth with 1,710 cards, while Austria also exceeded 1,000, issuing 1,135 cards.
Most EU countries rely on national work permit schemes
“Germany has positioned the Blue Card as the main instrument for skilled labour migration and does not have a ‘parallel national scheme’ like other member states,” Besic, Karabegović and Diedrich said.
They emphasized that other member states rely on national schemes, based on the discretion and right to set limits to admission volumes. This helps explain why Germany accounts for nearly four out of five EU Blue Cards issued.
Who receives the EU Blue Cards?
In 2023, Indian citizens received the highest number of Blue Cards (21,228 or 24%), followed by citizens of Russia (9,488 or 11%), Turkey (5,803 or 7%), and Belarus (5,294 or 6%).
Other notable recipients included nationals from Iraq (3,990), Egypt (2,529), Pakistan (2,408), Syria (1,810), and the UK (1,074).
Conditions to apply for the EU Blue Card
There are several conditions to apply for a Blue Card. The most important is having “a valid work contract or a binding job offer for highly qualified employment for at least 6 months in the Member State”.
Why isn’t the EU Blue Card more widely used?
The Blue Card Directive was implemented by Member States in 2011, though it does not apply in Denmark and Ireland. In 2016, the European Commission launched a recast of the Directive, aiming to implement a more unified system by phasing out national schemes.
A key reform is the reduction of the salary threshold to 1.0 times the average gross national salary (and no higher than 1.6 times), with member states allowed to lower it further to 0.8 for shortage occupations—a long-standing concern for both employers and migrants.
Still, many countries continue to prefer national schemes. Besic, Karabegović and Diedrich pointed out that member states are not required to abolish parallel national systems, making the Blue Card harder to access in many cases—and therefore less appealing to both employers and third-country nationals.
No fast track in Blue Card
“In the Netherlands for instance, the national scheme does not require higher qualifications and has a lower salary threshold, making it more attractive for businesses and their workers to use,” Tesseltje de Lange said.
She added that the Dutch recognised sponsorship system allows decisions within two weeks, while in Spain, national permits are also reportedly issued in under two weeks. The Blue Card does not require Member States to offer such fast-track procedures, which may also explain why it remains unpopular.
She recommended that the European Commission list more shortage occupations in the Annex of the Directive and align the procedures for recognition of qualifications, which sometimes take 6 to 9 months, to increase the attractiveness of the Blue Card.
