Move to Europe/ Oddball Europe

Starting with Wacky News!

2009-11-15T18:47:00.005+01:00

One of the things that I've wanted to do with this blog for a while was to add more wacky news about Europe. There's a lot of funny weird, and just plain unbelievable things in the news which are not always printed in English. So, I'll be updating a lot more often than up to now.... with fun and weird news and some insights into current affairs (as well as the traditional changes and new stuff over at the website).

So, first off is this French gent, dressed as a hamster.

For Euro 99 per night (about $148) you can stay in a house designed by architect Frederic Tabary, called the Hamster Villa. You'll be able to keep busy with activities and other stuff inspired by a hamster residency development.

A short (long overdue) update

2009-10-15T21:07:00.002+02:00

Haven't been updating the webslog recently, since there's been a ton of work on the website. However, I promise to update with some of the goodies that have been happening, including the new Blue Card and cross-border work for expats.

Here are a few newspapers which I like to read:
- The Prague Post
- Moscow Times
- Budapest Sun

Blue Card Passed

2009-05-26T00:43:00.001+02:00

Just when I thought it was dead, the European Council up and passed legislation allowing for the EU "Blue Card". Designed to attract highly skilled people from outside Europe, it is meant to compete with the American "Green Card" and similar programs in Canada and Australia.

The Blue Card is designed to make it easier for those with skills which are in demand to live and work in Europe, as well as to move across national borders. The new legislation will set a standard series of rights for Card holders and give favourable conditions for family reunification and rights.

More here.

No law is better than a bad law

2009-02-10T20:12:00.008+01:00

Well, my previous post about somebody poking the Blue Card to see if it's dead or not certainly didn't bring this commentary out, but it's well worth reading. The basic jist of what the author is saying is that from a policy perspective, the Blue Card has become a second-rate combination of whishful thinking, protected interests and just plain silly bureaucracy.

The Blue Card originally started out as a simple idea that would give talented people who qualified access to the European Union.

The last set of options floated by the European Parliament have the net effect of undermining large sections of the original idea... to the point where most talented people won't bother which such silliness. Among the ammendments floated were these:

1- 5a) In an increasingly global labour market, the European Union should increase its attractiveness to workers, in particular highly qualified workers, from third countries. That objective can be more effectively achieved by granting privileges, e.g. particular derogations, and by making it possible to have easier access to relevant information.

Yes folks, they want to give you information. About what, I don't know. Try to get information about the Long Term Residency Directive, enacted three years ago, and unless you speak local languages and can follow legal logic, you'll get nowhere most of the time. Let's start with the basics.

2- The section on lower salary requirements for those under 30 were deleted.

Meaning that if you're under 30, don't bother to apply.

3- (15a) In the case of intra-EU mobility from one Member State to another after renewal of an EU Blue Card, cross-border commuting may be an option for the EU Blue Card holder. As the EU Blue Card combines a work and residence permit, it does not offer the option of commuting to another Member State for the purpose of work while residing in the Member State which issued the EU Blue Card.

So you can only work in one state, that's it. Despite the fact that the European Commission is trying to promote the bejeezus out of cross-border mobility.

4- (20) In implementing this Directive, the Member States should not actively seek to attract highly qualified workers in sectors that are already subject, or are expected to be subject, to a shortage of highly qualified workers in the third country. This applies to the health and education sectors in particular. Member States should establish cooperation agreements with third countries with a view to safeguarding both the Union's needs and the development of the third countries from which highly qualified immigrants come. The cooperation agreements should include ethical recruitment policies and principles and be strengthened by the development of mechanisms, guidelines and other tools to facilitate circular and temporary migration by which highly qualified immigrants may return to their countries of origin .

The European Parliament seems to be convinced that the only people who would want to move to the EU are those from the developing world. This kind of paternalistic "concern" is often an excuse to simply raise barriers and obstacles. If you're an educated and talented doctor from Nepal, you're going to do what you want to do, and no pointy-headed ethical safeguard is going to stop you.

5- i) "professional experience" means the actual and lawful pursuit of the profession concerned, attested by any document issued by the public authorities, e.g. certificate of employment, social insurance certificate or tax certificate;

It's hard to figure out if the MEPs were trying to come up with a standard or are inventing a standard for which evidence does not exist. My country, the United States, does not issue certificates of employement to say that a web programmer has been "legally excercising their profession" for five years or more. In fact, in many of the European countries I've lived in, these documents don't exist, or certainly don't contain the information about what you've been doing. In the minds of politicians, though, if you can't come up with the evidence, then you can't apply.

6- 1. This Directive shall apply to third-country nationals who apply to be admitted to the territory of a Member State for the purpose of highly qualified employment as well as third-country nationals already legally resident under other schemes in a Member State who apply for an EU Blue Card .

So, after you've qualified for a highly skilled program in one country, say the Kennismigrant program in the Netherlands, you'll have to come up with a whole new set of paperwork to get the Blue Card. I can't see too many people bothering on this point. (Keep in mind that to apply for the Blue Card, you'll need a job offer.)

7- 3. This Directive shall be without prejudice to any future agreement between the Community or between the Community and its Member States on the one hand and one or more third countries on the other, that lists the professions which will not fall under this Directive in order to ensure ethical recruitment, in sectors suffering from a lack of personnel , in sectors vital to achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals, in particular the health and education sectors, and in sectors vital to the ability of developing countries to deliver basic social services , by protecting human resources in the developing countries, signatories to these agreements.

This section means that unions will be able to lobby for entire sectors of the European work sector to be blocked off because of policy goals set up by the United Nations. Interestingly, several European Union member states have been cited by the UN for contravening human rights with highly restrictive family immigration laws, and the result has been a big fat nothing. I may be wrong, but it sounds like the logic is that if you're a Canadian teacher who would like to work in France, you can't, because Sierra Leone doesn't have enough teachers. (That's just plain silly.)

8- 2. In addition to the conditions stipulated in paragraph 1, the gross monthly wage specified in the work contract or binding job offer must not be inferior to a national level defined and published for the purpose by the Member States which shall be at least 1.7 times the gross monthly or annual average wages in the Member State concerned and shall not be inferior to the wages which apply or would apply to a comparable worker in the host country.

This jacks the wage that you would need to get into the 60k region for most of Western Europe. (By comparison, you need 37k for a talented visa in Belgium and 48k for the Netherlands.) Small businesss leaders said that this would effectively price them out of the market. Thank heavens that the European Commission has already shot down this ammendment.

9- Article 5a
Avoiding shortage of highly qualified workers in third countries
The Member States shall not actively seek to attract highly qualified workers in sectors that are already subject, or are expected to be subject, to a shortage of highly qualified workers in the third country. This applies to the health and education sectors in particular.

Here's that mushy-headed brain drain do-gooder thinking again. But this time you may not be able to even apply because someone somewhere makes a prediction that there could be shortages of people somewhere else. Again, a great motivator for a talented person in a profession that is in demand to go apply for a job in Canada, Australia, the US, Singapore or elsewhere.

10- The Parliament also wants to abolish the section which allows member states to allow those under 30 to have lower salary offers or who have a degree from a member state university.

11- 2. Before taking the decision on an application for an EU Blue Card, Member States may examine the situation of their labour market and apply national and Community procedures regarding the requirements for filling a vacancy. Their discretionary decision shall take account of national and regional demand for labour.

This section allows member states to wall off sections of the economy or to require a work permit. It's bad enough that some member states do this with the permanent residency directive, but what's the point of applying for a permit which is supposed to allow you free entry into the labor market when it doesn't actually allow you free entry into the labor market? It's easier to go the normal route; with all of its bureaucracy, it's at least certian.

12- 2. After the first two years of legal residence in the Member State concerned as holder of an EU Blue Card, the person concerned shall enjoy equal treatment with nationals.

This section sounds nice, but it's a joke. You don't have equal status with nationals since you don't have the right to free circulation within the European Union. You're free up to the border, after that, you're a schmuck.

13- Member States may reject an application for an EU Blue Card in order to avoid a brain drain in sectors suffering from a lack of qualified personnel in the countries of origin.

This is a fake argument as well. A country's bureaucrats may well decide that your country has a lack of people in some category. Therefore, you're out. The information may be untrue, made up, or just an educated guess, but a pen-pusher can throw you out of the running before you've even started. Under this kind of argument, IT people will never be able to get a Blue Card since there are world-wide shortages in this area.

14- (h) "higher professional qualifications" means qualifications attested by evidence of at least five years of professional experience of a level comparable to higher education qualifications , including at least two years in a senior position;

The original clause was three years, and the Parliament wants to make it 5.

In all, it really seems like the message from the parliament is that Europe shouldn't compete, or even try. What it should have is an overly bureaucratic program, surrounded by lots of fanfare that few people will apply for and that will choke off competition between member states.

Two clauses which survived the pens of the parliament raise questions, such as this one did:

Holders of the EU Blue Card who have been granted EC long-term resident status
shall enjoy equal treatment with nationals as regards access to employment and selfemployed
activities.

So that means if you have the EU long term residency permit and have a Blue Card that you can (finally) chuck the labor restrictions? In fact, article 18 allows for a new EU Permanent Resident/EU Blue Card category.

Who knows. What was a good idea has become a huge muddle, and should probably be scrapped ahead of the elections in June. Maybe after that, they can pick up and start over.

In any case, the ambitious program announced with all kinds of hoop and holler in 2007 has thus far amounted to precisely ZERO.

It's a shame, but it still leaves lots of opporunities on the national level... and those are already enacted.

Blue Card? What Blue Card?

2009-02-09T00:04:00.001+01:00

There's an episode of the TV serial the Simpsons which sees Rod and Todd wondering about Krusty who's passed out in their front lawn.

Todd: Wow! A Clown....do you think he's evil?
Rod: He smells evil
Todd: Should we tell daddy?
Rod: No, lets poke him a little while longer
Bart: Hey, get away from him you little freaks
Todd/Rod: Eeeeeeeeeeeee!

The European Blue Card was supposed to appear last November, but it now seems to have gone AWOL and there's no further information about.

I guess somebody needs to poke it with a stick to see if it's still alive.

Extensions, extensions

2008-09-20T23:59:00.002+02:00

Things have been going well with a new project that I'm working on for the website. In the meantime, though, I haven't been able to update as much as I want.... so, I extended everyone's memberships by six months for free. If you're a member, keep checking back, and rest assured that your membership is good well into 2009.

If you're not a member, think about becoming one... get details on work permits and more!

How Do I Get a Job and a Work Permit?

2008-08-15T11:18:00.003+02:00

The website often gets questions about how people can find jobs and why headhunters often don't want to deal with them despite excellent qualifications. I'm working on a project which help exactly answer this question, and you'll notice some changes to the website over the next few weeks. We'll be announcing the changes here, but if you want to be the first to know all the details, have a look at what our book for expatriates and newsletter have to offer...

New Update Out

2008-06-25T19:34:00.002+02:00

European Union Blue Card timetable, new eased work permit conditions in Germany, changes to laws in Belgium, Spain and the Czech Republic... that means we've been at it again.... with another update over at the website! With the purchase of one book at the site or over at Lulu.com, you get six months of free updates. There's a big one coming in late July/ early August, so don't be late. There's so much material in our book that you will still be reading it by the time the next edition comes out...

Study Says Europe Needs to Attract the Skilled

2008-06-22T10:44:00.007+02:00

I ran across this article on Euractiv, which is kind of a Brussels site for policy wonks. It said that a recently study from the Center for Transatlantic Relations shows that Europe is 'a magnet for the low-skilled'. I’m paraphrasing parts of the article here, since it is interesting.

“As globalisation puts increasing pressure on the European economy, business representatives discussed the best ways to maintain the EU's competitiveness at a conference in France. A key issue is how to attract higher skilled workers from abroad, EurActiv France reports… The vast majority of foreign migrants settling in the EU from developing countries are poorly-qualified (85%), it found. But highly-qualified workers choose the US, where they constitute 55% of foreign labour compared with 5% in Europe.”

This is interesting, but hardly surprising. Europe has traditionally said no on work and residency permits to just about everyone, but those from poor countries have still found their way in. If you’re going to attract highly-skilled people, you need to make it easy for them. At present, just about every European country goes its own way on the topic.

However, the fact that they are implementing these programs means that there is probably going to be some different conclusions if the study were to be run again in just a few years. When I first studied in France two decades ago (I'm not that old BTW), it wasn't possible to stay. Now, the country has a work permit free program for graduates and for those with jobs in certain sectors. Even the Czech Republic has had its own program of work permits and Green Cards, and it's going further later this year.

European governments are working to change things around.

“The French intend to push for the establishment of a common European immigration policy while at the EU's helm, including plans for an 'EU Blue Card' to encourage more high-skilled immigration,” says the article. Which is good, since the Blue Card would be a boon to companies of many sizes. At the same time, countries will still be able to do their own thing.

"There will always be winners and losers of globalisation but it has given a lot to Europe and particularly France," said Daniel Hamilton, the author of the Center for Transatlantic Relations study and a professor at Washington, DC's John Hopkins University. If citizens are to continue to support globalisation, then a social system to protect them from it must be developed at the same time, he added. Hamilton called on France to strengthen its support for small and medium-sized enterprises and invest more in research and development to improve its competitiveness in the global market.”

The thing is that Europe has marketed itself for so long as being closed and impossible to get to, that just telling people about all the changes and beneficial new work and residency programs could be a full time job in and of itself.

Here's a link to the original article.

New Projects and Hacks at UPI

2008-06-04T23:26:00.003+02:00

I haven't been updating since I've been at work on a new project. If it sees the light of day, it will be a step ahead for our website and be really, really cool.

In the meantime, UPI said the following in a recent article on suggestions by French President Nicolas Sarkozy about setting Europe-wide standards in immigration laws: “Sarkozy has outlined plans for a Europe-wide clampdown on immigration when France assumes EU leadership in July.”

In fact, the truth can’t be more the opposite.

The Financial Times broke the story originally, and mentioned in just one line that Sarko is also proposing that once people are in, they have the freedom to move around just like Europeans do. Right now that exists is a quasi-way, but it’s far from perfect.

But I guess that doesn’t sell papers, or rather, generate interest from a news service doing a hack-and-slice of someone else’s original story. The fact is that somehow many journalists have the idea of generating sensationalism by saying that a “crackdown” or “clampdown” is in the offing for a “problem.”

Sarkozy is looking at Europe-wide standards for deporting those in Europe illegally and cutting down on shopping by asylum seekers. Sure, but it’s hard to see how this is a “CRACKDOWN” as the UPI screams. It’s merely harmonizing a patchwork of laws.

Something else the rocket scientists at UPI forgot to put in… these proposals are being made by Sarko ahead of his country’s six-month turn at the head of the European Union. Countries have a history of making big proposals and pronouncements during the run-up to this period, but it usually ends in not much. Specially when European Parliament elections are coming up in 2009.

So, nothing to get excited about for now. Unless you’re a hack at UPI.

How Do I Find a Job in Europe?

2008-04-05T11:22:00.003+02:00

I've had a few emails from people recently who were either looking for jobs in Europe or in a hurry to board a plane and drop everything in the process. So, I thought I'd put up a few words of advice. We'll be expanding the DIY Expat site (yet again) in the near future with a couple of really, really cool tools which will take some of the pain out of job seeking.

So, in no uncertain order, here are a few tips:
1- If you're job hunting in Europe and you already have a job, don't leave your current position until you have everything signed, sealed and delivered. That means having a signed contract, the necessary visas in hand and a formal plan. That way, if something falls through, you're covered and not left high and dry.

2- You may be tempted to drop everything and go to Europe with the hope of finding something there. That's not much of a strategy, specially if you have no contacts, friends, family, loved ones or others there. Some countries will also not allow you to change status once you are in the country. (The UK will not for example.)

3- Shop around. Some people, I've noticed, become fixated on a geographic location (London, Madrid, wherever). They may, though, be something nearby or elsewhere in Europe which would be just as good. This little secret is something that I clued into only after years of living in Europe.

For example, Paris is a beautiful place, and many people would not think of living in Brussels. Many French people, and former residents of the French capital, prefer the latter to the former. They say that the food is better, prices lower, people nicer, and if you want to go see Paris, the train gets you there in 1h20. Some who've lived in Amsterdam say that Brussels is the most boring place that they've ever been, even if the locals are marginally better behaved than the Dutch.

Anyway, just a few thoughts for a Saturday morning........

New Update

2008-03-24T14:12:00.003+01:00

Well I've been knocking myself out lately, and there's a new update to the DIY Expat Guide. This marks the second major update in two months, but the big thing this time is 25 pages (A4 pages) of prime jobs links for 15 European countries.
I've checked each of the links, reviewed a bunch and included others which I will be reviewing at a later date. In the meantime, it means that when you buy the DIY Expat Guide, you get not only the most information about work permits and beneficial residency visas for non-EU citizens, you also get one of the most complete job website listings in existence. Sites which feature English pages have been highlighted, but for those intrepid souls we've included local language sites too!

I want everything...

2008-02-28T19:51:00.005+01:00

Selling something in a competitive marketplace means being better than the competition. That works if you're selling DVD players, baseball cards, on-line books.... whatever. That's because the successful business person wants to see a profit and continue to see a profit. The old adages about a happy customer are true, but only if that customer is paying for something.

From a business points of view, I think it's pretty odd that someone would expect me to go through a large amount of time, expense and headache to put together a top-flight product which I would then give away for no discernable purpose or gain.

I was aware of this when I first started writing the book, so in addition to all of the content about the countries, I added original content to make all of that information usable, and understandable, to the average reader. These are people who want to eventually get to enjoy some of the benefits that I do from working in Europe, such as employer health care, full pension and five weeks of holiday every year, not waste months and years learning about the complexities of immigration laws sitting in a basement in Seattle or Bangalore.

So, why blunder for months when you can have the inside track about Germany, and the rest of the European Union, from one source in plain, readable English... now.

Bringing an Unmarried Partner to Europe

2008-02-22T00:09:00.004+01:00

I recently had the following question com in to the website. It was well thought out and on-target... just the kind of email which is easy to respond to.

From Sally:

Dear Joe Freeman,

I briefly read over your article "Europe Wants You : Opportunities for Working in Europe are Expanding for Non-European Citizens."

I was hoping you could point me in a good direction. I am looking to go live with my boyfriend in the south of Ireland, I will have living accomodations and a means of travel, but would still like to get a job that will improve my resume. I am a recent college graduate with an economics degree. Right now I am in insurance, and could make a change, so it's really about being with my boyfriend.

Thank you so much,
Sally

My response:

Dear Sally,

Reading your email, I think you might have a few options. Things depend on your boyfriend's nationality, if he's Irish or a national of another EU country, you will probably have more options than if he isn't.

If he is (Irish/EU), then look into what possibilities there are for unmarried couples in Ireland. It used to be that only those who were married could apply for family reunification, but this may have changed. I do know that it's possible to live as an unmarried couple in the UK, Belgium, Netherlands or Sweden. The local conditions vary, though, as to what officials will deem a solid relationship and what kind of evidence
they're looking for.

You also might look into a program run by BUNAC which allows you to work in Ireland for up to four months and gives you a work permit from the get-go. (So, if you want to take up a job in Ireland, you can and, temporarily, don't need a work permit.)

Best regards,

Joe

The Fourth Edition is out!

2008-02-17T20:51:00.004+01:00

Our most recent update is now published!

The latest edition has seen the page count go from 125 pages to 225, including significant expansion of information on the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Italy, Portugal and covering strategies and up-to-date information on using EU law to easily move around the European Union... with more rights and freer access to the job market than ever before!

(Later in the spring, we will have an update on the EU Blue Card, self-employment and contracting.)

http://www.diyexpat.com/bookorder2.html

Schengen, hooray!.. Oh no... Schengen!

2008-01-29T00:00:00.000+01:00

Two juxtaposed headlines at EU Observer are kind of funny. One, dated the middle of December says "EU marks historical enlargement of borderless zone". The next headline, dated the middle of January, says "EU passport-free zone blamed for new wave of emigration".... as if no one could seen that once coming.... http://euobserver.com/22

Meanwhile, hoping to put in a gratuitous photo, I typed "polish immigrants" into Google and came up with this....
... my how times have changed.

What Is a Skilled Worker in Europe?

2008-01-23T00:13:00.000+01:00

I recently had a question from a reader who wanted to know about how governments specifically define “skilled worker” when it comes to giving out work permits and eased work permit.

In short, skilled workers have education, work experience, knowledge of languages and other abilities that will help make them to stand out from the crowd. How individual countries measure this, though, is where theory meets the road. European countries like to use four basic categories:

- Income (if you can get above a certain income level, authorities will like you)

- Education (if you have an undergraduate degree or higher, authorities will like you)

- Experience (if you have specific training or certifiable specialized training, authorities will like you)

- Income and Experience (if your prospective job has an income above a certain figure and you have a higher degree, then you’re in)

In some areas, specific knowledge is much more valuable than a higher degree. For example, IT companies will pay top Euro for someone with SAP training. Is there a four-year university degree in SAP? No, and there aren’t any for Xerox either. In order to make sure that companies get SAP experts instead of just people with doctorates in Renaissance German, governments may equate experience and specialized courses with higher degrees.

The EU Blue Card: Getting the Details Right

2008-01-17T23:52:00.000+01:00

I recently ran across an article on the proposed European Union Blue Card (exact title: “The Proposed European Blue Card System: Arming for the Global War on Talent?”) written by the DC-based Migration Policy Institute (article link). It was an interesting article, but there was just one problem… portions of it are just plain wrong. It’s one thing if you can document something and come up with an opinion… it’s another if you haven’t even got significant details right. (They didn't goof it like Miss Teen South Carolina did, mind you.)

I’ll give a few examples from the article itself, and compare these to the Blue Card details over on the DIY Expat website. The Institute’s article is in italics, and my comments follow:

Comparable in theory to the US green card, which grants lawful permanent residence based on employment in addition to family relationships or refugee/asylee status…

European governments like to use the term Green Card, but they don’t actually have anything comparable. For example, in the States, if you lose your job, you still have your Green Card. (That’s permanent residency.) Lose your job in Europe, and after a few months if you haven’t landed something new, you’re out.

But there are disparities between EU Member States…In theory, a Blue Card system would aim to reduce these differences, and increase Europe's attractiveness as a whole.

Actually, the Blue Card would make it easer to attract people to work in Europe, specially on the Continent. By promoting labor mobility, skilled people might be more apt to circulate, and it would be easier for businesses to get the workers that they need.

(…The article is then OK for a while…) The current institutional context for building common EU immigration policies means Member States retain firm control over who enters their countries.

They retain some control about how people initially enter, but many countries already have eased work permits or Green Cards of their own in place. The new EU permanent residency permit also gives holders a limited right of residency in all but three Member States.

…instead of replacing current national systems, the legislation would prevent Member States from applying more advantageous rules to attract the highly skilled. This approach does not reflect the reality that European countries increasingly compete with each other… the proposal aims to create a level playing field but may be perceived as constraining those countries already capable of attracting workers, such as the United Kingdom.

I’ve actually never heard of this. If you look at the directive on permanent residency, which kind of serves as a legal forerunner of the Blue Card, Member States are allowed to give permanent residency on more favorable terms than the directive sets out. At the same time, they cannot set out more restrictive terms. (They can, however, set local conditions on access to the labor market, ask for proper housing, etc. The DIY Expat Guide goes further on this and actually tells you what you need to be able to move around, not just that you can.) I honestly think that nations would be able to continue to offer beneficial work permits, etc. on national terms… recipients just wouldn’t be able to move around.

Beyond labor-market safeguards that may do more harm than good, the proposal raises a number of other questions, not least, "What is highly skilled?" The proposal includes several criteria…

There’s lots of debate on this one, and the Institute’s article here is quite good.

The combination of wage disparities across Europe and the freedom to set national (minimum income) levels sets the stage for intra-EU competition for Blue Card workers. Highly skilled workers could be lured away by higher wages in other EU countries once their probationary period is over, while businesses could focus on poaching Blue Card workers when restricted by national policies.

Competition for labor seems to be inherent in this proposal, and the Migration Policy Institute completely misses the point. Right now, people face significant obstacles which actually encourages them to avoid Europe. The European Commission wants potential Blue Card workers to think of working in Europe as a whole, not just choosing between France or Belgium or Spain, etc. In fact the European Commission specifically says that “In order not to penalise geographically mobile workers, they are allowed to add up periods of residence in different Member States to obtain long-term EC residence.”

…Following several initial discussions of the Blue Card scheme, … a number of European countries expressed doubts that the European Union could help them become more competitive. At the joint meeting, Germany argued that its level of unemployment means that skills can still be sourced domestically.

Germany is headed for national elections soon, and ministers are playing to their core constituencies. The proposal has the backing of major political groups on the right and left in Brussels. The Blue Card is still under discussion, but it seems likely to pass. (Don’t forget that right now some national politicians are being cranky about anything from Brussels, and there’s a lot of discussion about the upcoming treaty which could radically change the powers that national governments and Brussels have vis-à-vis each other.) It’s very possible that some countries would be very open to Blue Card holders while others would try to remain as closed as possible.

Are the Member States right to be so cautious and on so many grounds? At root, their reluctance is based on general suspicion of efforts to create any common immigration policies in Europe.

Common policies already exist. The form of residency permits, for example, has been standardized, and then there’s the EU permanent residency permit.

To what degree do immigration policies affect the attractiveness of a country or continent? Surveys of highly skilled migrant workers in a variety of sectors suggest that immigration policies per se are not their primary concern… Government efforts to foster the creation of centers of excellence, both in business and academic terms, can help ensure the future success and competitiveness of Europe.

Experience shows that a country’s reputation can be built on how welcoming their initial policies are. The UK’s HSMP, for example, has given it a wonderful reputation among skilled and talented non-EU citizens. A relatively open labor market has brought increasing numbers of talented people. In turn, this has brought more international companies since they can find the people they need. (It’s a virtuous circle.)

Denmark, on the other hand, has invested heavily in creating “centres of excellence,” but these haven’t gone very far. Why? The country developed an absolutely awful reputation because of a series of highly restrictive and punitive laws passed a few years ago. The country’s government has come to its senses a bit, and is now going out of its way to attract people and get out the word that it is a pleasant place to live with flexible and easy bureaucracy.

Experience or education?

2008-01-02T23:50:00.000+01:00

Well, happy holidays everyone. I've been busy working on the next edition of the DIY Expat book, and you'll find a bunch of changes (more on that in a few days).

Before the holidays, I had a couple of questions about university degrees, work experience and how they relate to needing a work permit if you're a non-EU national.

European countries differ on the point, with some saying that they'll only take a degree, while others may accept, under certain conditions, work experience at an advanced technical level. This is specially true in areas where people may get ahead or learn on a less time-intensive basis. Bill Gates, for example, never finished university, but was arguably a genius when building Microsoft.

If your qualifications (education, work experience, or some combination thereof) are what authorities in a given country are looking for, then you may be allowed to take up work without a work visa or with a permit under significantly better and easier conditions attached.

For example, if you are an IT programmer, certain European countries maybe happy to have you if you've got skills that are in high demand (such as database building or you're a specialist in some kind of high-end software). At the same time, being an architect, engineer or brain surgeon are jobs where local authorities may not only want to see that you finished school, but that you got your certification as well. (You can always fix a line of code, but knocking down a bridge is an entirely different matter.)

If you're thinking of getting a job in Europe and you have advanced experience, skills or education, think of looking at these eased work permits. Countries which have these kinds of visas include Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Denmark and other European Union members.

New Feature!

2007-12-12T00:12:00.000+01:00

The last post I did seems to have been popular. So, I'm going to start posting answers to other questions that I get about moving to Europe, work permits, residency permits and so on. (Remember, your best bet is always to get a local legal professional to help you... so do!) You never know what they'll be, but they're real questions that affect real people.

You may not need a work permit...

2007-12-08T00:37:00.000+01:00

I recently received the following question on my website:

-----------------

Dear Joe,

Next year, I will be working in Warsaw permanently. Currently I have a passport and living in Sweden as a permanent resident.

Can you tell me about work permits in Poland?

Thanks, Vince

----------------

It was interesting, since Vince may be able to qualify for a special permit that he didn't even know about... The permanent EU residency permit. (here's a few more details) In fact, very few people know about it!

I told Vince that Council Directive 2003/109/EC of 25 November 2003 says that if you qualify, you can move between any EU member state (except Ireland, Denmark or the United Kingdom) with nearly the same rights as European nationals.

Sweden and Poland are signed up to this Directive, and he may (emphasis on may) be able to use it to move to Poland, without having to get a work permit. Now, I know that Sweden is giving out these EU-level permanent residency permits (if you meet the right conditions, and it sounds like you do). The trick is, though to find out if Poland is allowing those permits holders to actually work without permits or not. It's up to individual countries to decide how they want to implement the Directive.

The Netherlands, for example, tells people that they not only need a work permit, but have to pay Euro 880 for a residency permit. (For a country that says that it wants talented expats, you have to wonder...) Other countries want you to have a work contract and housing (among other things), but don't impose such conditions. (The next edition of the DIY Expat Guide will highlight individual countries and how they see the EU permanent residency permit.)

One of the things to keep in mind if that some countries have a local permanent residency card an the EU one as well.

Guerre civile en Belgique...

2007-12-05T23:43:00.000+01:00

New edition out!

2007-11-25T11:48:00.000+01:00

The third edition of the DIY Expat Guide is out, with a significant number of updates on laws that have changed over the past couple of months. We'll be putting out another update at the end of December with details on how various European countries are implementing the EU's Permanent Residency Directive. In practical terms, this is the legislation which allows permit holders to move around most of the European Union with a minimum of paperwork and hassle.

I thought summer was supposed to be hot

2007-07-28T11:17:00.000+02:00

Where has July gone? It's been so rainy and cold that it seems like later in the year.

Bad weather or no, there are more immigration reforms in the works. Belgium has added some beneficial regulations, Sweden is talking about some reforms and even France is fleshing out regulations passed last year. I'll be putting together a separate publication that should go up quite soon with some of the legal changes that we've noticed or that are slated to come up in the near future.

I've spent most of the month straightening out some of the writing wrinkles in the DIYExpat Guide and a couple of the other publications which we have. Those changes go up this weekend.

... and don't forget that subscribers can download these new editions for free! (It's one of the benefits of the subscription model that we use.)

We quietly changed a number of the country pages, adding more info...

Major Update

2007-07-02T14:45:00.000+02:00

We've been busy at work on the website and behind the scenes, and a major update is in the works.

If you haven't read about the HP zd8000 laptop, it's a great machine, but some have said that it runs hot.... so hot that some of its innerds actually melt. Currently I have a dead one, and it seems to have suffered exactly this fate.

Readers have been telling us that there's nothing out there like this, but that some passages need clarifying or an additional bit of explaining. Why mention this on the weblog? Because it's one of the reasons why we chose for a business model that allows our readers to download later versions too.

Sarko v Bat Boy

2007-05-07T00:04:00.000+02:00

Putting the final touches on the commercial side of DIY Expat this weekend, I managed to unwittingly take everything offline for 36 hours with a badly configured access file. Ah fun fun.

Speaking of fun, Nicholas Sarkozy has won the presidential elections in France. Sarkozy pushed through immigration reforms which favor talented non-EU citizens, and one of his electoral promises is to lower taxes.

Definitely keep an eye on the electoral coverage there if you're thinking of movig to Europe.

The French paper Canard Echaine (cartoon above) makes him (the new French president) look a bit like Bat Boy of Weekly World News fame.

14 million Americans want to move abroad?!

2007-04-22T01:46:00.000+02:00

According to a new survey, there's as many Americans as who want to move abroad as there are in the entire Czech and Slovak Republics (give or take a few Bobs and Svatopluks). Wow! Hope that they all have something to do when they get here.

Looking at the numbers from the survey, it seems like Europe is a top destination. The survey authors say that the numbers are high, but that the respondents are people who say that "they're planning to" (i.e. where's the airport) to "maybe not, but I may buy property." Together, that's a pretty high number. Reasons ranged by age group, with political reasoning and wanting new challenges rating tops for reasons to leave for a few years. (It's also interesting to look at reasoning by age on page 10.)

Taken at face value, it looks like not only that everyone wants to come to the US, but many from the US might like to try the opposite direction.

Europe estimates that it needs hundreds of thousands of people over the next few decades just to keep the population stable. Bringing a few Americans back to Europe probably wouldn't cause too much of an uproar, although we'd definitely have to work on our accents, specially of Romance languages.

The absolute most hilarious thing I ever saw in a restaurant in Paris was some years ago when I was studying undergrad. A guy from Texas was trying to impress his girlfriend who'd come over for Spring Break. He was doing his best, but just couldn't make that switch from English to French. For example, whenever he wanted a waiter, he would snap his fingers and shout "GARKON!" at regular intervals. A new waiter would appear each time... and I didn't know why until I saw the others about to double-over laughing. The Texan's French was so entertainingly bad that they were sending colleagues over just to listen. Other gems included "Champseleeseez", "Versails", "joornow" and "dooo cervezas du plus" (with an upturned V sign made with two fingers to the waiter).

The waiters were well-mannered though, and completmented to the girlfriend on how good "ze monsieur's French ees, oh yes, you must stay wit' eem, ozerwise".... (fingersnap)..." a Frenchwoaman will nevair let'im leave." They did get a nice tip in the end, I saw, so everyone was 'appy.

The British are moving to France and Spain en masse, and most of them can't speak the local languages worth much either. So a few extra American types won't hurt, I duely reckon. Besides, if Americans come to work in Europe, maybe some of the folks back home will start to wonder why they're settling for two weeks of vacation when Bob over in Germany has five, a Mercedes and makes more money (well, at least while the Euro is strong).

I still have a weblog..... yea!

2007-03-18T20:12:00.000+01:00

I've never been on for weblogs, but this thing amazingly still keeps getting hits. Well, why not breathe some (content) life into it then.... While I get my act together, here are a couple of fun clips.

1- A QVC home shopping announcer demonstrating the high quality and strength of a fake sword manages to stab himself on live TV- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e77oXjFkIs

2- Three BBC presentors take up a challenge to make their own limousines and then put them through road tests before a final, ultimate challenge. It's in a couple of parts, but worth watching. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyZcF9g0V1g

3- An ad from Germany which plays on the need of some to improve their English. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsCR9Y4Ymvo

Watch your step...

2006-08-06T17:58:00.000+02:00

Press reports say that thieves in the depressed town of Charleroi have been stealing manhole covers like no-one's business this summer. In the past two months over 50 have disappeared, leaving a bunch of holes around town. Thieves reportedly try to sell the covers for their value as scrap metal. Charleroi was the same town that not too long ago saw some local criminals use a bazooka on a police station, and local vandals also burnt half of the city's police cars in just one night....

A bad hair day?

2006-08-05T02:06:00.000+02:00

One of my favorite blogs is Pestiside. It's from Budapest, and having been there twice alreday this year, it's, well, a very unique place. Pestiside outdid itself today.....

Horrific M1 crash almost ends in dry hair

France goes Anglo-Saxon (finally)

2006-08-01T10:00:00.000+02:00

This one passed under the radar of most of the news services, but a recent law change is probably going to open up the job market in France to non-EU citizens…. well, ones with university degrees anyway. From January 1, if you meet the conditions (which have yet to be announced, BTW), you’ll be able to get a two-year renewable permit which allows you to go look for a job in France.

Translated, that means that if the French authorities decide that you’re good enough, you can apply for this permit without having a job lined up. With the permit in hand, you can then go find a job on your own. The UK already has a system like this, and the Netherlands is reportedly considering such a program.

Anyway, we’re still building the website, but there’s more to see over at Do It Yourself Expat, the first guide for non-EU nationals on working and living in the European Union.

Nuns chase down thief

2006-07-26T23:20:00.000+02:00

I was in Amsterdam on the weekend, and the following news item just just too bizarre to pass up.

On Saturday the 23rd of July, two nuns in habits on bikes chased a thief through the southern part of Amsterdam. One of the two had recognized the man from pictures of a theft of church offerings some weeks before. The thief guy figured that he'd had an easy time of it, and went back for second pickings.

Inquiring at the church when the next service was, the first nun recognized him and invited him in, while alerting the second nun to call the cops. The thief got itchy feet, and took off.... so the nuns hopped on their bikes and went after him.

The GSM function of one of the mobiles of the nuns was on, so the police followed the signal, not sure what was going on. The thief managed to get into the centre of town, with the nuns still in pursuit, before the police caught up with the three, and the thief managed to get away. The fuzz do have fotos, though, and are reportedly on the lookout....

Click here for local news video...

2006-07-11T14:48:00.000+02:00

I'm still here, just been trying to work out all of the bugs in my website. You know, it's surpising just how much their is to setting up and running even a website.

In the meantime, here's a small language tip- the middle of summer is called "cucumber season" in most of Northern Europe. That's because it's the time of year when everyone goes on vacation and nothing much happens except stuff growing in the garden. (Think of it as a slow news day that lasts from about mid-June to mid-August.) The phrase is literally translated and used in languages like German, Czech, Hungarian, Flemish, Polish and others. So when you hear it, well, you know it's the lazy part of summer.

2006-06-05T20:09:00.000+02:00

Oh, wait, I have a blog? Dang, I forgot..... I definitely gotta get into the habit of updating this to make it interesting.

Venice revived?

2006-04-11T09:53:00.000+02:00

Sick this past weekend, well that and watching the elections in Italy and Hungary with baited breath. Bizarrely, Austrian loudmouth and Kärntner Landeshauptmann Jörg Haider is now saying that he wants to stand for election in Italy in 2009. He also wants to revive the Venetian Republic (?!), or at least start a regional party which would call for the independence of Veneto. Their name would be Popoli Liberi della Serenissima. Personally I'm waiting for a revival of the Papal States and maybe even the State of Franklin!

Meanwhile, I'm wondering if a leftist government could sort out the morass that passes for Italy immigration system.

The Zen receptionist, pt. 1

2006-04-07T10:57:00.000+02:00

The receptionist at my work has a wonderful way with words. English is not his first language, and while he speaks it pretty well, his written memos...well... have a certain lyrical quality. Usually they deal with mundane matters, like the office mail, cleaning up the kitchen, etc. So, enter (drumroll) the Zen receptionist. His message for today was:

Dear all,

Please if you have eaten: rice, pizza you name it, please clean up your dish before putting it in the dishwasher.
This morning I found dirty dish everywhere.
Thank you for you cooperation.
The dishwasher and his hands.

The Boklest... no, McCreevey... Services.... something

2006-04-06T13:39:00.000+02:00

The (insert name here) Services Directive been getting a lot of press in Europe, but precious little elsewhere. Bascially it would open up cross-border services in the EU. This could be a boon to those with a business based in one country but working in another. If it sounds arcane, don't worry. The upshot may mean that Americans can more easily set up a business in one country, but then work in another (with all the right legalities, of course).

A new version of the law is being kicked around in Brussels, so watch this space....

Europe as a security risk

2006-04-06T13:21:00.000+02:00

The US State Department has said that "unemployment, discrimination and lack of integration among Europe’s Muslim communities had created an "audience" open to extremist messages" and that this could constitute a security risk to the US. German interior minister Wolfgang Schauble came up with a "ja, vell ve can't help it" in response. If Europe stays on this road, don't be surprised to Dutch nationals needing visas to visit the USA while Czechs and Poles won't.

In the meantime, governments should be importing more qualified and talented people. They boost economies, and, in turn, that brings more jobs. More jobs and anti-discrimination laws with teeth... but is that too Anglo-Saxon for the Continent? I hope not, because that's what is needed.

Daily Show 1, Denmark 0

2006-04-04T19:52:00.000+02:00

For a different take on Denmark, have a look at the "Danish Arrogance" report at the Daily Show. It's hilarious how the reporter flies to Denmark and, well, pretty much abuses people. One of the funniest segments is when he walks into a Middle Eastern restaurant and yells "It's OK, I'm not Danish. I'm on your side!" at the rather swarthy lads working behind the counter and then starts waving an American flag.

One take on the Toon Riots was that some local immigrants in Copenhagen got tired of being pissed on by the government. The Danish government didn't help by completely failing to comprehend the situation and standing around trying to look earnest and Nordic. The people in the Daily Show bit were about the same....them guys at Comdey Central must know something.

Wait, you mean I'm not street legal...

2006-04-04T19:08:00.000+02:00

One of the bad points about the European Union is that it is a club. You can live for years here, but if you're in one of the sucky countries that won't let you have citizenship (well, as someone from the developed world anyway), you're stuck with permanent second-class status. That's not so bad in the US, Japan or other sovreign states. However, in the EU this means that when the economy goes four trotters skyward, your neighbors can move to Spain. You, however, are stuck.

That's why the European Union came up with the Directive on Long-Term Residency, which is supposed to give equal, or near equal, rights to those who live more than five years in a country. While laudable, two of the decent places in Europe, the UK and Ireland, opted out. So, while Latvians with no education can move to London in search of a job, an educated American who speaks fluent German, has a job and a decade living in Germany can't.

The EUObserver ran an article yesterday which highlighted this fact. Evidently the issue was over whether or not someone with a Russian long-term permit for a new member state, say like Estonia, could make use of the new directive to go to France while Estonian citizens could not. The answer is that the Russian couldn't go if the Estonian couldn't. Well, at least that bit of discrimination is equal.

Now, if the Commission would only get all the Western European countries who were supposed to enact the damn thing by the end of January to do so soon.

Welfare + Disconnected Youth = Bad Juju

2006-04-03T16:20:00.000+02:00

Here is an interesting story (posted off of an English language website for those who don't read German) about tensions at a school in Germany. Basically, it seems the kids have taken over a school, and that there are some real endemic social problems among groups living in the poorer sections of Berlin.

One part of the article says that a letter was sent to local authorities from teachers, saying "The mood ... is dominated by aggression, lack of respect and ignorance," said the letter, adding: "We have reached a dead end and there is no way to turn around." (Wow, I could have sworn that this was a conversation between Americans about the Dutch government's latest anti-foreigner law proposal.) Sounds like bad juju that needs hard and soft measures if authorities in Berlin are to regain control of the situation. (Bet this kind of thing doesn't happen in Bavaria.)

Many immigrants and their descendants (and the same goes for 'native' Europeans themselves) have never had to be productive. This leads to some European politicians and policy wonks to hoot and holler about minorities, the "islamization" of Europe, scrounging immigrants, etc., but this is misplaced populism. Both immigrants and native' Europeans suffer from an addiction to easy welfare, meaning that it's possible to stay where you are, doing nothing and going nowhere.

Look at what the Dutch and Danish politicians are saying about migrants these days... rightist governments in both countries have been looking to cash in then play on sentiments among 'native' voters that it is they, not others, who should have access to the state's welfare ATM. The underlying assumption has been that all immigrants are uneducated goat herders/ borderline criminals and should be treated as such. This means all kinds of petty restrictions- overbearing bureaucracy, high fees, significant delays, forced classes on 'integration', periodic 'tests', special laws which only apply to them, heavily restricted citizenship possibilities (no dual nationals, for example), etc.- designed to drive the nasty foreigners (at least those most likely to be on welfare) out the country.

But it doesn't happen. The ones on welfare stay (they have nowhere to go to), while expats, who have jobs and pay tax, turn sour and leave. Or they just don't show up. While the Danes and Dutch are busy scaring off those who would have jobs, the US is full of people demonstrating for the possibility to be given the chance to work legally.

Moral of the story? If you expect immigants and their families to get along in your local society, don't give them welfare. Give them work, opportunities, hope for a decent life and full citizenship, and you'll get the top talent and the best of the manual labor pool... not the garbage at the bottom of the barrel.

BTW- It looks like the morons in charge of the Netherlands will lose the next election, but the new government will have a lot of damage to repair.

From the Funny Central European Sign Dept...

2006-04-03T10:39:00.000+02:00

This sign is from somewhere in the Czech Republic, and says "Go crap with your dog in front of your own home." A nice one for anybody who's tripped over a doggie land mine in Prague, Paris, Amsterdam...

2006-03-31T10:27:00.000+02:00

Everyone is talking about the illegals in the United States these days, but hey, let's do something for Americans! That's why I'm setting up this blog.... oh yeah, and giving the average Joe and Susan advice on starting to live those champagne wishes and caviar dreams.