Objective 5: Enhance availability and flexibility of pathways for regular migration

Austria has developed an elaborate points system (the Red-White-Red Card Scheme) to facilitate labor migration from non-EU countries for highly skilled workers, as well as for workers in specific shortage professions.

The Department of Labour of Cyprus systematically tries to fill labor shortages with foreign workers, with over 60% of the total work permits granted going to unskilled agricultural workers (foreign workers made up 36% of the sector in 2012).

Special programs to recruit health professionals from abroad, have been created in Portugal, who sees them as “an important answer to overcome the lack of doctors and nurses,” and filling urgent needs in the health system. The supply of qualified doctors in some Latin America countries has led to bilateral and multilateral agreements between the Portuguese government, sending countries (including Uruguay, Cuba, Colombia and Costa Rica), and health institutions.

The new Law on Foreigners and International Protection established a new Migration Advisory Board with a mandate of assessing the effects of regional and international migration policy developments on Turkey. The Board will thus be regularly monitoring the development impacts of migration at the national and sectorial levels as part of its duties under the law. 

The points-based system covers migrants from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland who require leave under the Immigration Rules to work in the UK.

The United Kingdom has committed to monitoring the impact of its new immigration Points Based System on developing countries. 

In these agreements regulating labour migration flows, the Spanish authorities, through Spanish Embassies in origin countries, notify the origin countries’ authorities of the number and type of workers needed, taking into account existing job offers. (There is no set quota; rather, the employers in Spain request a certain number of needed workers.) Origin countries in turn notify the Spanish authorities, through the Spanish Embassies, of the possibility of meeting this demand with their nationals willing to go to Spain.

This project promotes the regular migration of Colombian workers to Spain and enhances the impact of migration on development, particularly in local communities.

Senegal and France have signed a cooperation agreement on health engaging the Senegalese diaspora in French hospitals and universities.

Bangladesh signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding EPS with the Korean government on June 4, 2007 which founded the principles of sending manpower from Bangladesh to Korea. Ministry of Labor of Korea and Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment of Bangladesh are the administrative and decision-making ministries of the respective countries with regard to recruitment of Bangladeshi workers under EPS.

The South Korean Employment Permit System adopts a government-to-government placement approach to minimize exploitation of temporary migrant workers, notably the excessive recruitment free. Recruitment and deployment under its MOUs with countries like Bangladesh and the Philippines will thus be via the government recruitment arms. This could reduce the costs of migrating to nominal cost-recovery level.