The battle for Blue Cards continues

In recent weeks, we took part in the work of the Parliamentary Committee on Internal Security and Public Order at the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria. We participated together with representatives from BESCO and the law firm “Tsvetkova & Partners,” who have extensive experience on the topic.

Our focus is on improving the Blue Card system and discussing the Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria.

The Blue Card procedure is still too slow and cumbersome, and the results are evident:

• It often takes more than 5 months of dealing with institutions
• The shortage of talent in tech industries alone is in the tens of thousands
• Over the past 5 years, Bulgaria has issued on average fewer than 150 new Blue Cards per year
• For comparison, Poland has attracted over 2 million people from Ukraine alone in recent years—many of them highly qualified
• In developed countries, such procedures take between 2 and 4 weeks, and in the Netherlands can be completed in 48 hours

Bulgaria continues to face a serious demographic problem. To build a high value-added economy, we need:

• People
• Capital
• A business-friendly environment

The fastest solution to the talent shortage is to provide rapid access for highly qualified professionals from third countries. These are the changes we are advocating for:

• The procedure for family members to start in parallel with the applicant’s process
• Graduates from Bulgarian universities to go through a simplified procedure
• After the 4-year period, renewal of the Blue Card to follow a simplified process
• Removal of the requirement to prove a lack of local workforce
• Removal of the requirement for secured housing during the application process
• Allowing professional experience as an alternative to higher education for proving qualification

The biggest challenge is the digitalization of the entire process and communication between the Ministry of Interior, the State Agency for National Security (DANS), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Only then can Bulgaria realistically compete with other EU countries in terms of processing times.

A key win in the draft law is the proposal to introduce a single point of contact, which will be the Migration Directorate of the Ministry of Interior.