The Council of Ministers approved the amending bills that define the procedures for the EU Blue Card and relate to the entry and residence conditions of third-country nationals for high-skilled employment.

In a statement from the Ministry of Interior, it is mentioned that, according to the proposal presented by the Interior Minister, Constantinos Ioannou, "the proposed changes aim to adopt a more flexible framework for the entry and residence of highly skilled workers from non-EU countries."

Additionally, more flexible rules are introduced for attracting highly skilled workers to the EU, including more lenient admission conditions, enhanced rights, and facilitation of movement and work within the Union.

Furthermore, the new process specifies the term "highly skilled" as possessing a tertiary education degree of at least three years.

Managers and professionals in the field of information and communication technologies can alternatively have relevant professional experience of at least three years within the seven years preceding the Blue Card application.

According to the announcement, the amendments are in line with the talent attraction program and fall within the broader effort to promote legal immigration as a measure to manage migration, replacing irregular immigration.

Simultaneously, they align national legislation with the relevant Directive of the European Parliament.