The EU prepares to facilitate the free movement of foreigners

The European Parliament (EP) has announced that it aims to reduce from 5 to 3 years the time needed to obtain long-term resident status for foreigners who come to work from a country that is not a member of the European Union (EU). ) .

According to the news reported by Euronews Turkish, this legislation, which requires the approval of all member governments of the union, is scheduled for February 2024, that is, before the next elections to the European Parliament. However, discussions between political groups, especially over the issue of immigration, can cause governments to delay the process.

HOW DO I GET LONG-TERM RESIDENCE STATUS IN THE EU?

To obtain this status in the EU, foreigners must have lived in an EU member state for at least five years. In calculating this period, the foreigner must not “leave” the country for 6 uninterrupted months, and the condition is sought that the total time spent abroad “does not exceed” 10 months.

They are also required to prove that they have “stable and regular financial resources” as well as health insurance. Foreigners must also pass the language proficiency test in some member states and prove that they are integrated into the country in which they live.

Foreigners with a long-term residence permit have to obtain a visa when they want to go to other member countries, since they are not citizens.

OBJECTIVE TO FACILITATE INTEGRATION

The European Parliament, on the other hand, proposed reducing the period from 5 to 3 years and argued that foreigners should have the opportunity to add the duration of their stay in different member states together.

The aim of this regulation is to “facilitate the integration” of non-EU citizens who have lived in the EU for a long time. AP also noted that during periods in different countries, the foreigners may have received an education, worked as temporary workers or sought asylum like Ukrainian refugees.

Another issue that has changed is that the new status opens the doors to all EU member states. Foreigners will be able to visit these countries, as well as find a job and take advantage of settlement opportunities.

According to a statement from the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, “According to the new rules, foreigners with long-term residence in the EU will be able to move to a second member state to work or study, without practices such as labor market controls. or integration requirements.”

According to 2021 data from the European statistical office Eurostat, 23.7 million non-EU citizens live in EU countries.