The European Union has launched the Blue Card visa scheme, a new policy intended to attract highly skilled workers to EU countries to fill gaps in the labour market and compete with USA immigration.

The EU Blue Card scheme will enable skilled migrants from non-EU countries to move freely around the continent filling labour market gaps.

The plan was decided upon in Brussels on 25 May, together with the establishment of a set of common standards intended to prevent employers illegally taking on immigrants and paying them unfair wages. The measures include a rule that requires all non-EU workers to carry a valid residents permit. Employers that breach these regulations will be faced with fines and possible exclusion from public tenders and access to public funds.

Under the Blue Card visa scheme national governments retain the right to decide how many workers can enter a country on a Blue Card and which industries they can work in.

The new measures do not affect people wishing to work in the UK from outside the EU as the UK, Denmark and Ireland have opted out of the scheme, claiming they wish to form their own regulations for immigration and work visas.