Upon termination of employment, the European Blue Card holder has a search period of 6 months, if the employee has been a holder of the European Blue Card for at least two years. Otherwise the search period is 3 months. A highly skilled migrant only has a search period of 3 months in case of unemployment, irrespective of the duration of the previous employment. In addition, the highly skilled migrant's permit must also be valid for the entire search period of 3 months. This requirement does not apply to the European Blue Card holder. The EU Blue Card can even be extended to get this search period.

For both the European Blue Card and the residence permit as a highly skilled migrant, there is a right to the search period, regardless of whether the employment contract has been terminated by the employer or employee.

The holder of a European Blue Card may earn less than the applicable salary threshold for the European Blue Card for a maximum of 12 months in the event of illness or disability.

An employment contract in The Netherlands often states that during sick leave the employee will earn 70% or 80% of the agreed gross salary. If the employee just earns the salary threshold for the European Blue Card, the employee will earn below the salary standard in the event of illness. The fact that less is earned than the salary threshold due to illness or disability is no reason to reject the extension of the EU Blue Card.

It is not permitted that the European Blue Card holder applies for a benefit under the Participation Act.

The highly skilled migrant scheme, does not allow that the knowledge migrant is earn less than the highly skilled migrant salary threshold due to illness. The permit can then be revoked by the IND.

The Dutch European Blue Card allows the holder of this permit to work in other EU member states without the requirement for a work permit being imposed by those other member states. However, the requirement is that the work may last a maximum of 90 days. The other EU member states can also determine that the work permit exemption only applies to certain activities. In general, the most common activities, such as business discussions, are exempt from the work permit requirement.

Favorable conditions apply for the European Blue Card holder to be eligible for an EU long-term resident residence permit (permanent residence permit).

The European Blue Card holder may return to his country of origin for a maximum period of 12 consecutive months and a maximum of 18 months in total. The European Blue Card holder must have returned for work, volunteer work or study. In that case, the period for qualifying for an EU long-term resident residence permit is not interrupted.

Holders of the Dutch highly skilled migrant permit can not have any interruption in their legal and uninterrupted stay of 5 years in order to qualify for the EU longterm resident residence permit.

Also, periods of residence in different EU member states can be added together for the required 5 years of legal residence required to qualify for the permanent EU longterm resident residence permit. You must have resided in these other Member States on the basis of a European Blue Card, a national residence permit as a 'knowledge worker', as a researcher, or as student.

After the European Blue Card holder has obtained the EU long-term resident residence permit, the favorable conditions for family reunification continue to apply. For example, the spouse or partner of the former European Blue Card holder does not have to take a basic integration exam abroad to be eligible for a residence permit in the Netherlands to stay with the former European Blue Card holder.

This favorable arrangement does not apply to former highly skilled migrants who have obtained EU long-term resident status.

Once the former holder of the European Blue Card has obtained the EU longterm resident permit, longer periods of absence are permitted compared to other foreign nationals who have also obtained the EU longterm resident permit. The former EU Blue Card holder may be absent from the territory of the European Union for 24 months.

Highly skilled migrants, who have also acquired the status of EU long-term residents, may be absent from the territory for a maximum of 12 months.

To be eligible for the EU Blue Card, the employer does not have to be approved by the IND as recognised sponsor. This is a huge difference with the highly skilled migrant program. As the HSM permit can only be applied, if the employer is IND recognised sponsor.