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Comment by blue_box | Hacker News Reader

It is really easy to get a blue card. You just need a contract (higher than €42K) and diploma (which is relevant to your job). That's all. Not only from India, I think EU beckons tech talent from all Level 3 countries.

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Is there a lack of engineers in Germany, or there is a lack of engineers who want to work for peanuts at yet another venture builder, consulting agency, advertisement, e-commerce, delivery startup led by inexperienced managers with huge egos?

We have many good STEM universities with free education in Germany, but do we have enough options for top talent, in software related areas particularly, to make impact and retire at 40 or start own business? In Berlin, I see very few options to be close to such goals.

How many new famous technological companies came from Germany recent years?

There is a lack of engineers in almost every engineering field in Germany. That's the main reason why if you are an engineer, your salary limit is low for getting a blue card. I don't think that EU decides those limits based on hot startups.

I sometimes wonder if it is too easy to get a Blue Card in Germany, and in turn will push down tech salaries when so many people show up willing to make slightly above the €42k requirement.

For the first job, people are accepting this level salaries but after 21 months (if you have B1 level German otherwise 33 months), you can get a permenant resident permit. At that point, a lot of people change their job and find a company which pays better salaries.

Yes, but the damage has already been done. It pushed more people on the job market exerting downward pressure on salaries.

It destroys entry-level jobs. Long gone are the days that someone could start on the helpdesk or in the QA department and work their way up into a sysadmin or a programmer. Those jobs all have been outsourced and offshored. This most hurts people who have the talent but not the formal qualifications. It is a total betrayal of social mobility by EU governments.

Of course it does. However, Indian representation is disproportionately high (for multiple reasons)

https://www.germany-visa.org/number-of-blue-card-holders-in-...

https://www.thelocal.de/20180109/one-quarter-of-eu-blue-card...

How does the blue card work? Is it only valid as long as you work for the employer that sponsored you to get it? Can you change employers after some amount of time and still retain it?

> Is it only valid as long as you work for the employer that sponsored you to get it?

Whenever I got mine, the person at the Ausländerbehörde said that the card was tied to my job title, not employer.

You normally get a blue card with a period of validity, which is normally 4 years. While the blue card is valid you can freely switch between organisations within EU. The only restriction is that you cannot change the field of your work. So a software engineer can only apply for other software engineering positions.

To get a blue card you primarily need an unlimited contract. Companies do help with the process of procurement, like setting up an appointment. Once you get your blue card you also get another "green slip" that mentions your current employer along with your job role. Anytime you move to a different job, this slip needs to be updated, which is then done by your new employer.

If you have an unlimited contract, you can get a blue card which is valid for 4 year (of course you can get permanent residence permit after 33 months). Otherwise it will be limited to your contract period. You will see the company name on your working permit. If you quit, you have 3 months to find a new job. Afterwards, you renew your working permit. So you can change your job but it has to have the same standards. (must be relevant to your education and higher than the salary limit)

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