Many people across the world plan to live and work in the future in the EU and the reasons for that are not few. Their highly developed and stable economies, great job opportunities, good working conditions where employees are respected and treated with dignity, are some of the main reasons why many workers, in particular from third countries, are getting more interested in working in the EU.
However, getting a job in the EU is not the easiest thing to do. With the job vacancy rate at 2.3 % in the second quarter of 2019 and an unemployment rate of 6.2%, at first sight, it seems like the EU doesn’t have any needs for workers from the outside.
Actually, things are not quite simple. Due to the skills shortage in the EU, which means people being professionally unprepared to fill in vacancies, and other vacancies remaining unfilled due to overkilled people that do not want to work in the service industry, constructing, farming, and other similar.
Skilled professionals wishing to work in the European Union may have it easier to get a job if they are experienced in a field that the EU is currently suffering skills shortage.
Across the EU, the top five skills shortage occupations are:
In addition, Estonia and France face shortages of legal professionals, while Ireland, Luxembourg, Hungary, and the UK need finance professionals. In Italy, the demand for architects with green skills is growing.
The best way to get a job in the EU is to check the online portals seeking employees, which often specify that non-EU workers are required. For jobs as nurses and doctors, and other positions at institutions run by the government, you should check the ministries of interior.
Most EU countries have official job portals, while there are also private-run portals as well. Make sure you check all of them.
While searching for a job, always make sure you qualify for application. Keep in mind that even if you meet the criteria 100%, you will still have to beat the other competitors, which aren’t few.
Most job vacancies specify the following criteria:
When you apply, make sure you submit all of the documents you are asked to, as the CV, a letter of motivation, diplomas, and certificates, as well as the recommendations.
If the job you want to apply for or you already applied for asks you to pay a fee per application or want you to pay an amount of money to get admitted into a job do not fall for it. That is clearly a scam.
Due to the high interest of people to work in the EU, scammers in different locations in the world have set up fraudulent websites, companies and job vacancies trying to trick others into paying huge amounts of money in order for allegedly getting the job.
Many fall for this due to the high desire to get a job in Europe, but such scams are too good to be true, and you should always have your eyes open for them.
Once you have a job offer you can start the application procedures to get a visa for the country where your employer is located.
After you complete all these steps, you will need to wait for the processing of your visa. It may take up a bit of time, depending on how many applications the embassy is accepting, yet the chances that your application will be rejected are low. In particular if, your employer has successfully obtained the work permit.
As soon as you arrive in your destination country, in most of them, you will have to register with the police or at another relevant authority.
Next, you will have to apply for your residence permit. Usually, you have to apply within a given period. The required documents for application are most of those that you were required to submit when applying for your work visa.
Aside from working in the EU with a work visa, there’s another option. You can try to get an EU Blue Card, which is a residence permit for qualified non-EU foreign nationals to work in an EU country. It permits its holder to enter and remain in a particular EU country for employment.
In order to be eligible to get an EU Blue Card you must meet the following criteria:
The EU Blue Card holder enjoys equal treatment with the nationals of the Member State where they have settled. The permit authorizes its holder to enter, re-enter and stay in the country that has issued it. Yet, they can only work in the sector they are concerned
