EU issued a record number of Blue Cards

Last year, the EU countries provided a record amount of "Blue Cards" to citizens of Turkey, Russia and India, namely 89,037. This has become a new historical high.

This program is designed to attract highly qualified workers who can work and live in any of the 27 EU countries.

According to official data, the number of Blue Cards issued increased by 8,8% compared to 2022, reaching the highest figure since the creation of the program. The only exception is the pandemic period, when growth was temporarily suspended. Since the program was launched in 2013, the number of foreigners receiving such cards has been steadily increasing.

Who received the cards?

Of the total, the largest number – 21,228 – were received by Indian citizens. Russians are in second place with 9,488 visas, followed by Turkish residents who received 5,803. Also, a significant number were issued to Belarusians and Iraqis, who accounted for 5,9% and 4,5% of all permits, respectively. Other countries include China (3,792 maps), Ukraine (2,743), Tunisia (2,575), Egypt (2,529), Pakistan (2,408).

Leaders among the EU

Germany occupies a leading position in terms of the volume of issued residence permits of this type. The German authorities provided 69,353 cards, namely 77,9% of all issued cards. Poland is in second place, it has issued 7,402 cards (9,2% of the total). Lithuania and France also found themselves in high positions, issuing 3,912 and 1,710 residence permits.

At the opposite end of the list is Hungary, which presented only 17 Blue Cards a year ago, but Cyprus did not hand out any. Malta (31), Greece (28), Portugal (26), Estonia (25) and Slovakia (24) were also among the countries with the lowest number of issued documents.

What bonuses do Blue Cards give?

The main advantages of this program include:

1. The EU's broad labor market has access to 27 countries.
2. Expedited processing is faster than other visas.
3. Family privileges – the opportunity to bring a family with the right to work.
4. The path to residency and citizenship.
5. Recognition of qualifications is a simplified employment process.
6. Good working conditions – high wages.
7. Social and medical benefits.
8. Professional growth – access to new technologies and contacts.
9. Stability and security are high standards of living.

These factors make the map attractive for highly qualified specialists.