American in UK wants to move to Continent

[amerineurope]

Hi Everyone -

I'm an American citizen who has been living in the UK the last 4.5 years. I'm on a Tier 2 ICT visa which is tied to my company. Having arrived in August 2011 I'm aware that I am not eligible for ILR (unfortunately) nor can I switch visa's without adhering to the 12 month cooling off period (I'm below the the income threshold that extends the 5 years to I believe 9).

As I begin my job search and keep all options open, staying within Europe is at the top of my list. I would be most appreciative if anyone has knowledge or insight into any limitations I need to be aware of in moving to another country in the EU as a US citizen. I'm not concerned at the moment with being sponsored - yes, that's something I need to deal with but I have enough experience I don't expect this to be an issue. Netherlands and Spain are my top choices at the moment but it will come down to finding a suitable role so others may come into the equation.

Also if anyone has insight into preferable visas in NL or ES and beyond (such as a Tier 2 General in the UK is much more desirable then ICT) I would greatly appreciate these insights.

Thanks in advance!
Adam

[ALKB]

Hi Everyone -

I'm an American citizen who has been living in the UK the last 4.5 years. I'm on a Tier 2 ICT visa which is tied to my company. Having arrived in August 2011 I'm aware that I am not eligible for ILR (unfortunately) nor can I switch visa's without adhering to the 12 month cooling off period (I'm below the the income threshold that extends the 5 years to I believe 9).

As I begin my job search and keep all options open, staying within Europe is at the top of my list. I would be most appreciative if anyone has knowledge or insight into any limitations I need to be aware of in moving to another country in the EU as a US citizen. I'm not concerned at the moment with being sponsored - yes, that's something I need to deal with but I have enough experience I don't expect this to be an issue. Netherlands and Spain are my top choices at the moment but it will come down to finding a suitable role so others may come into the equation.

Also if anyone has insight into preferable visas in NL or ES and beyond (such as a Tier 2 General in the UK is much more desirable then ICT) I would greatly appreciate these insights.

Thanks in advance!
Adam

The EU BlueCard comes to mind.

Not all EU countries offer it and some are more enthusiastic than others.

It offers an accelerated route to settlement if requirements (mostly language) are met but it does restrict your ability to change jobs and to change EU countries within the first 18 months under BlueCard.

Requirements regarding salary, etc. vary slightly from country to country.

For example Netherlands €64,385.28 minimum salary:

http://www.eubluecard.nl/eu_blue_card

Germany €49.600 minimum salary or €38.688 in shortage occupations:

http://www.bluecard-eu.de/eu-blue-card-germany/

You'll have to check every country individually.

[rac2016]

I am interested in knowing if your TIer 2 visa status in the UK means that you would be required to undergo a 12 month cooling off period before switching to another non-UK EU visa.

Does anybody have any insight on this?

[ALKB]

I am interested in knowing if your TIer 2 visa status in the UK means that you would be required to undergo a 12 month cooling off period before switching to another non-UK EU visa.

Does anybody have any insight on this?

Your UK work permit has nothing to do with applying for a work permit in any EU country. You'd have to comply with rules and laws of that particular country.

The only advantage of having a valid Tier 2 visa would be, that you could apply for that new work visa within the UK without having to return to your home country.

Otherwise, work permits are national matters and a work permit of one EU country does not allow you to work in another EU country but (with the exception of the restrictions of BlueCard) it also doesn't exclude you from changing to another country.

[rac2016]

Very helpful! Thank you!