Spouses Of Skilled Immigrants To EU Are Seeking Jobs

25 Aug 2010

An expert and a board member at Permits Foundation has revealed that a large number of skilled foreign workers want their spouses to be allowed to join them in the host countries in the EU. The findings of the survey also revealed that the percentage of skilled immigration to the EU is just around 5 percent as compared to 85 percent of unskilled immigrants. Kathleen van der Wilk-Carlton said that Europe is depriving itself of a large number of skilled migrants from different countries since it does not allow their spouses to work in the same host nations in Europe.

The survey by Permit Foundation stated that nearly one-fourth of the foreign workers do not accept offers of jobs in the EU as their spouses cant work along with them in the host nations.

It has been found that the EU needs more high skilled immigrants since the nation is experiencing acute shortage of skilled and professional workers in fields including informatics and engineering. The partners joining their spouses who migrated on the basis of  ICTs (Intra-Corporate Transfers) are preferred to play a crucial part. This is because being accompanied by their spouses helps them settle down in their new homes more easily along with the completion of their contract.

According to Van der Wilk-Carlton, the health of the transferee, his well-being and his integration are helped by their spouses accompanying them.

Canada, New Zealand, US, Australia and Switzerland seem to be attracting a large number of high-skilled immigrants as compared to the EU. Due to the facility, a large number of skilled immigrants hailing from EU are migrating to Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Switzerland on temporary or permanent basis.

The number of highly skilled immigrants hailing from the EU immigrating to the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia was 300,000 in the year 2007.