THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
Seven years after the introduction of the EU Blue Card, Germany has awarded 104,000 such residence permits to highly-skilled non-EU immigrants.
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees said in Nuremberg on Tuesday that about 27,000 visas were issued in 2018, a 25.4% jump over 2017, and more than any previous year. 11,738 of the Cards issued in 2018 were to first-timers, i.e. the holders had never held a residence title in Germany before. This made Germany the country that issued the most Blue Cards in the EU in 2018. It granted 85 percent of all residence permits issued across the EU.
By far most Blue Card holders came from India. They made up almost a third of the immigrants. Other highly-skilled immigrants came from China, Russia, Turkey and Brazil.
The EU Blue Card is a temporary residence permit designed to encourage the immigration of highly-skilled workers from non-EU countries.
Blue Card applicants must have a university degree and earn at least 53,600 euros per annum at the job they intend to take up in the EU. If applicants belong to the so-called “shortage professions”, for example, as medical doctors, natural scientists or computer specialists, their minimum salary is about 42,000 euros.
Sola Jolaoso
Click here for more information about EU Blue Card for Germany
