Work Permit

A work permit or work visa is an authorization to work in a foreign country. The foreign country in which someone is seeking a work permit is known as the "country of work," as opposed to the "country of origin," which is the country of your citizenship or birth. The rules vary greatly between countries.

European Union

Since each EU country has a different process for granting work permits to third-country nationals, the European Commission began work in 1999 on developing a unified EU-wide process for the entry of third-country nationals into the workforce. In October 2007, a proposal to introduce a work permit similar to the US Green Card program, called the "Carte Bleue (European Union)" (not to be confused with the bank card of the same name in France) was adopted.

This proposal is similar to the UK's Highly Skilled Program, except that it will require a work contract before migration. After two years in the first country, migrants will be allowed to move and work in another EU country and will be able to refer to the number of years spent in the EU for residency purposes. This new card will eliminate work permits throughout the EU and centralize issuance from Brussels.

See the article Blue Card (European Union) for more details.