The island nation of Cyprus has decided to amend its rules for obtaining the coveted EU Blue Card.
This includes relaxing certain eligibility pathways. In terms of work status, applicants must be legally employed or at least have received an offer letter for at least a period of six months. In terms of educational status, they must have a three-year-long minimum university degree, and in rare cases have equivalent work experience over a course of seven years. Professional experience was previously not considered.
This also includes simplifying the pathway to residence and citizenship, allowing current Blue Card holders to become permanent residents after thirty-three months, if they have full proficiency in Cypriot’s local language and are contributing to any pension account. They may also obtain citizenship after 5 years, as opposed to the previous 7.
The validity has also doubled from 12 months to 24, which will allow Blue Card holders to stay in the country for longer and avoid extra annual paperwork on the employers’ part.
