Poland has increased the minimum salary threshold for EU Blue Cards to 8493.79 PLN gross (about USD 2,146) per month. It is almost 743 PLN gross more than the minimum wage for applications submitted in 2021.

The change took effect 9 February 2022 and will remain in effect to applications submitted in 2022. Employers hiring foreigners with high qualifications must take into account higher financial requirements for this group of employees.

Just to remind, the EU Blue Card is one of the types of temporary residence permit in Poland, which entitles a foreigner to stay and work for a period not longer than 3 years.

In order to apply for the so-called Blue Card the following conditions have to be met:

  • completion of at least 3 years of higher education or at least 5 years of professional experience at a level comparable to the level of qualifications obtained because of graduating from a higher education unit, as necessary for the job;
  • an employment contract concluded for a period of at least 1 year;
  • a minimum monthly gross salary not lower than the equivalent of 150% of the average salary in the national economy.

Facilities and privileges for EU Blue Card holders:

  1. Possibility of changing the permit and access to the labor market after 2 years of stay on the basis of this type of permit

In the event of a change of the employer or employment conditions, this permit may be changed at any time upon the foreigner's request. At the same time, after 2 years of stay on the basis of the Blue Card, the foreigner gains free access to the labor market. This means that a foreigner may change the employer or the name of the position without change or issue a new temporary residence permit in order to work in a profession requiring high qualifications.

  1. Mobility within the EU

A foreigner staying for 18 months on the basis of a Blue Card issued by another EU Member State may relocate to the territory of the Republic of Poland in order to work in a profession requiring high qualifications.

  1. Facilitation in obtaining the long-term EU resident - the possibility of accumulation of periods of residence in different Member States

The periods of stay in the territory of the European Union include all stays in other Member States. In practice, this makes it possible to obtain the title of long-term EU resident faster.

At this point, it is worth to emphasize, that certain benefits of holding the EU Blue Card also apply to the family members. Family members have the right to study at Polish public universities free of charge. As well as the temporary residence permit entitles spouse to perform work in Poland without the need to obtain a work permit.

Should you have any questions regarding the procedure and conditions for obtaining EU Blue Card, please feel free to contact us.

 

Author: Olga Senychak, senior consultant at CRIDO, Rafał Frączyk, manager at CRIDO