Gateway to Europe

With the addition of the Channel Tunnel and low cost airlines such as EasyJet and Ryan Air, Europe is easier to access from the UK than ever. You can reach most areas of Europe from the UK within a few hours by train or direct flight. For example, if you are studying in London or Manchester and you want a weekend away in Italy, you can fly Ryan Air direct to Rome, Milan, Pisa, Genoa, Venice or several other cities in Italy. The direct flight would take around two hours and cost anywhere from 30 to 100 pounds, depending on when you travel and when you book.

For non-European citizens, working in Europe has the reputation of being difficult. If you are not a European Union passport holder, goes the stereotype, local regulations shut you out of the market, so you shouldn’t even think about it.

That may have been true in the past, but not anymore.

Many European governments have begun to change laws, and are beginning to encourage immigration for non-EU citizens with university degrees and skills that are in demand. There are several reasons, but the most commonly cited one is that Europe has long suffered from “brain drain.” In turn, this lack of experts and highly educated people is affecting economic growth and European governments want to change that.

Word has been slow in getting out, though. This may be because countries have been busy changing laws and engaging in internal debate without time for much else. The bottom line, though, is that the monolithic work permit is being replaced in many countries by a combination of residency permits with various levels of work permission and work permits with flexible conditions. Having a basic idea of how the details work can help you to understand how governments in countries like the UK, Belgium, France and Germany are trying to attract people, since they are all doing completely different things.