European Union Question

[Xue Sheng]

I was talking with a friend who is a professor of sociology about people emigrating from the US to other countries and I mentioned a few countries that are part of the EU, to which he said they don’t want you unless you have some skill they need. You can immigrate there but you will never get a job otherwise

How true is this?

I have no plans on moving to any of them any time soon but I am wondering exactly how hard is it for someone to move to a country that is part of the EU and how hard would it be for someone to get a job there?

 

[Tez3]

You will need a work permit and to get that you will need a job offer, usually you will only be offered a job if you have a skill or speciality that the employers can't find in the EU. Usually the employer has to prove to the immigration authorities that he can't find a suitable EU citizen to fill the job. Citizens/subjects of EU countries however are allowed free access to jobs in any EU country.
I've no idea how hard it is to get a job or work permit though. It may be easier to get a job with an American company, I don't know.

 

[Bruno@MT]

There is some paperwork to fill out, but it's really not that difficult. I know many americans who worked in Belgium for prolonged periods of time. There are some formalities to be taken care of, but if you have a degree or are associated with a company that has a site in the EU, the company will help you and will probably have people telling you what to do.

Basically it boils down to this: if you are in the country legally, you can get a work permit. If you're not, then you can't.

 

[Tez3]

There is some paperwork to fill out, but it's really not that difficult. I know many americans who worked in Belgium for prolonged periods of time. There are some formalities to be taken care of, but if you have a degree or are associated with a company that has a site in the EU, the company will help you and will probably have people telling you what to do.

Basically it boils down to this: if you are in the country legally, you can get a work permit. If you're not, then you can't.

You have to watch yourself in Belgium though, the chocolate, the waffles, the beer and the coffee are all addictive. I think they allow people in to work easier as they intend to take over the world by making everyone food and drink addicts.