How to stay to work in the EU after graduation?

Over the past ten years, the European Union has finally turned into one of the world's largest centers of attraction for students: according to Eurostat, in 2023, 1.76 million foreign students studied at EU universities, that is, 8.4% of all students in higher education. This is not just academic statistics, it is the potential of the workforce, for which states are increasingly competing. The OECD has recorded a steady increase in international mobility: the number of students moving to study increased from 3 million in 2014 to 4.6 million in 2022, and in STEM areas, foreign students make up to 30% of the contingent on average. For Europe, where the working-age population is shrinking from year to year, each graduate is a chance to close the personnel shortage, which already affects almost all sectors of the economy.

Demography is a dry thing, but convincing. The EU's working population has shrunk from 269 million in 2012 to 264 million in 2021, and forecasts are a worrying backdrop that Europe risks losing up to 35 million more workers by 2050. In addition, EURES studies show that personnel shortages are registered in all 31 countries that are part of the platform, and in some economies, there is a shortage of skilled professions in 80-98%. That is why the European Commission is launching the Attracting skills and talent to the EU package in 2022, followed by an updated Blue Card directive, lowering the salary threshold and relaxing contract requirements. Politics is becoming transparent: it is more profitable to retain graduates of European universities than to try to attract specialists from outside.

Against this background, the question of "how to stay in work after graduation" ceases to be a private task of the student – it is already part of a larger European strategy. But with all the general trend, the rules in different countries differ, and the chances of a graduate are determined not only by professional skills, but also by the specific conditions for the transition from educational status to work.

Transition from study to work in the EU: the general logic of the process

Despite the differences in legislation, the mechanism for the transition from a student residence permit to a work residence permit in the EU is built according to a single scheme. The student completes his studies and his residence permit comes to an end. To break this direct link "graduated – left", countries introduce an intermediate period: a temporary status that allows a graduate to stay in the country and look for a job or start their own project. The timeline varies: from 6-12 months in a number of southern European countries to 18 months in Germany or two years in Ireland for masters and doctoral students. During this period, the graduate can either find a job, or apply for the status of an entrepreneur, or, as in France or Spain, prepare to launch their own project related to the specialty.

Only the degree of freedom differs. In some countries, a graduate is given a legal residence permit with full access to the labor market (the Netherlands, Germany), in some countries, the time to look for a job does not imply the right to work for hire (some regimes in Spain), and in some countries, a student has to look for a job even before graduation, because there is simply no special visa "to look for a job". But the general principle is the same: after studying, a window of opportunity is given - short or long, but basically aimed at not losing the graduate, keeping him in the country.

Three Main Approaches to Post-Graduation Employment

While the EU has common goals to attract and retain young professionals, each country implements them in its own way. In order to make it easier to navigate in heterogeneous national systems, it is convenient to distinguish three conditional models. To be clear, these are not strict legal categories, but an analytical framework that shows exactly how states create the transition from study to work; In practice, many countries use a combination of several logics.

Model A: a separate residence permit for job search

Under this model, the graduate is given an independent status, allowing him to study and work. Its purpose is to provide time to find a job or launch your own project. This is how Germany, the Netherlands, France, Ireland, and Austria work.

Features are the following:

• A residence permit is issued immediately after graduation, the term is from 12 to 18 months, and sometimes up to two years.
• The employer does not need to apply for an employment permit in advance (or the procedure is simplified).
• Many countries have reduced salary thresholds for recent graduates, making hiring more attractive.
• Entrepreneurial activity is possible: France, the Netherlands and Spain (in the new edition) allow the creation of a business already at the stage of job search.

Model B: Hurry up to find a job while your student residence permit is valid

This model was typical for Italy, Belgium (until the "search" status was introduced there), and now for a number of countries in Southern Europe. The essence is simple:

• The student must find a job before graduation or in a short time after it.
• If he does not have time, the right to stay is lost, and he has to re-enter as an employee (provided that he manages to find a job).
• Employers in such countries are often more cautious about foreigners, because the transition to work status requires more formal formalization.

Model C: Various hybrids

This is the most modern approach, in which countries try to solve several problems at the same time:

• Give the graduate time to search,
• Offer a preferential salary threshold,
• Create a separate entrepreneurial pathway,
• Allow you to switch between statuses without leaving the country.

This model is now followed by France, the Netherlands, and more recently Spain.

How does it work in practice?

Germany: Long search period and predictable rules

Germany is not just the largest recipient of foreign students in the EU (423 thousand people studied here in 2023), but also a country with one of the most understandable and logical schemes for the transition from study to work.

After completing their studies, a graduate can apply for a residence permit to look for a job for up to 18 months – this is one of the longest transition periods in Europe. During this time, you can work almost without restrictions and at the same time look for a qualified position related to education.

Another important thing is that Germany is actively using reduced salary thresholds on the Blue Card for those who received a diploma from a local university. This is beneficial to employers and increases the likelihood of employment in engineering, IT, life sciences and healthcare – precisely those sectors where the shortage of personnel is most noticeable.

The country demonstrates a high rate of "retention": according to federal statistics, about 1/3 of foreign graduates stay in Germany on a long-term basis, switching to a work residence permit or obtaining permanent residence.

The Netherlands: A Year of Great Opportunity

The Netherlands offers one of the most functional and competitive modes — orientation year. This status is given for 12 months, allowing the graduate to look for a job without restrictions, and the employer to hire him without obtaining separate permits. The uniqueness of the Dutch model is that after this year, a graduate receives the right to switch to the status of a highly skilled migrant at a reduced income threshold: about 2 euros (989 euros per month versus 4171-5688 euros for ordinary candidates). The difference is so significant that it makes a young specialist noticeably more attractive against the background of other applicants.

Also statistics confirm this: five years after graduation, 25% of foreign graduates continue to live in the country, 80% of them are employed, and often with incomes above average. This is one of the best indicators in the EU in terms of "how many graduates have been retained in the labor market."

France: a year to search + the opportunity to start your own business

France relies not only on hiring, but also on the entrepreneurial potential of yesterday's students: after graduating from a master's or doctoral program, a graduate can receive a special card for a period of one year, which allows them to either look for a job or prepare their own project. Unlike temporary student permits, this status gives the right to work for hire without additional approvals from the employer.

The requirements remain reasonable: future work must correspond to the field of education, and the level of pay must not be lower than that established for qualified specialists. For graduates interested in starting a business, the French model is convenient because it gives time to prepare: you can conduct research, collect documents, establish connections — and all this without leaving the country.

It is indicative that France annually issues a significant number of student residence permits - over 110 thousand in 2024 alone. The country remains one of the centers of European education, and a separate status for graduates is built into this system as a logical continuation of the university. The approach here is simple: if a person has already lived in France for several years and has settled into the academic and everyday environment, he should be given the opportunity to gain a foothold in the labor market.

Spain – a long time to search, but without the right to work immediately

Spain went its own way. After the reforms of recent years, it has become possible to obtain a residence permit for up to two years to look for a job or prepare to start your own business: thanks to this, a graduate can stay in the country, negotiate with employers, collect a portfolio, finalize graduation projects and master the market without the pressure of deadlines. However, the Spanish system has an important feature: this status in itself does not give the right to work. This is the time exclusively for searching. As soon as the graduate finds a suitable place, the status must be changed to a working one.

The approach turns out to be ambiguous. On the one hand, the state provides a generous period, on the other hand, it is the transition to a working residence permit that becomes a key point, and here formal registration is already required by the employer. This makes the Spanish version less flexible than the German or Dutch version, but it allows the graduate to take their time and calmly look for a suitable path.

New trends in Europe: a course towards simplification and the struggle for specialists

It is no coincidence that the EU countries' policies towards graduates are changing, they reflect a deeper process: the European Union can no longer cover personnel needs only at the expense of the internal market and is increasingly competing for talented young professionals with the UK, Canada and the United States.

In recent years, there have been several important changes:

• Relaxation of work status requirements

The updated Blue Card system, which began to be used in the EU countries in 2023, has significantly simplified the life of graduates. The minimum wage can now be equal to one average salary in the country, and the term of the employment contract is reduced to six months. This makes the registration of a young specialist more accessible to employers, expands the range of professions where a graduate can count on a working status.

• STEM, Engineering, and Medical Support

Most EU countries are experiencing a shortage of specialists in technical and scientific fields, in healthcare. This is reflected in the migration rules: for graduates of such programs, the transition to working status is usually faster, salary thresholds are lower, and employers are willing to process documents. In Ireland and Germany, for example, the share of doctors, engineers and programmers among the holders of work permits is steadily growing, which confirms the demand for these professions. 

• Development of entrepreneurial tracks

Ten years ago, the transition of a graduate from study to his own business was rather an exception, and today France, the Netherlands and Spain offer full-fledged statuses that allow you to create a business, prepare a project or test a model for a year or more. Many graduates use this route if they want to stay in the country but do not plan to be employed. A separate story is visas for talents and digital nomads, which also provide certain employment opportunities.

• Gradual alignment of rules within the EU

Despite the large gap between the north and south of Europe, in recent years countries have been moving towards more understandable and unified procedures: almost everywhere there are statuses for job search, employment requirements are becoming more transparent, and the timing of transitions is becoming more predictable. This does not mean complete harmonization and unification, but the trend clearly indicates that the retention of graduates has ceased to be a side effect of the educational program and has become part of the economic strategy.