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23-05-2021
By S. Najaf Ali Shoukat
NEW DELHI/ ISLAMABAD/ LONDON/ WASHINGTON/ PARIS/ ROME/ BERLIN/ CANBERRA: On the basis of exclusive reporting, elite coverage and influential news of a senior investigative journalist, Syed Jaffer Abbas Jafri (SJA Jafri), who is associated with Press Media of India (PMI) as Bureau Chief Australia since a long and also serves as Editor Investigation for Messenger (one of world’s most credible Pakistan based English dailies) and many other Urdu, Persian, Arabic and English newspapers, TV channels and news websites, the entire world would have to forced to change its immigration policies and visa rules completely as well as the standards and definitions even ‘meanings’ of refugees and migrants partially while the remaining visa and immigration regulations, practices, procedures and systems even ‘laws’ are being corrected and updated very fast across the world and because of the ‘eye-opening’ revelations, exposures and disclosures of the said journalist, dozens of countries of the world including America, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Italy, Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Norway have issued over 67,500 visas in different categories to the applicants of 66 countries during last three years which were pending from almost four (4) to eleven (11) years and over 22,55,000 more applications are been deciding and finalizing in 32 countries while approximately 32,840 detainees in these countries are also expected to be released soon, victims, establishments, applicants, ministers, present and former visa/ case officers, legal experts and sources told PMI.
During thirty-three (33) years journalistic services, SJA Jafri has been revealing, exposing and highlighting through his “PEN” that ‘what is right and what is wrong’, ‘who is true and who is incorrect’, ‘what is truth and what is falsehood’, ‘who are criminals and who are innocents’, ‘what is legal and what is illegal’, ‘what are international laws and what Geneva Convention says’, ‘who are Taliban and who launches them’, ‘who are anti-Shia and who are terrorists’, ‘what are human rights and who violates laws’, ‘who are migrants, travelers, passengers, refugees, asylum seekers, poor, oppressed, needy and displaced people’, ‘how and where they live and what they want and who are against them and who usually detains them’, ‘what is target killing, kidnapping, enforced missing, torturing, abusing, maltreating, beheading and slaughtering’, ‘how much people have been targeted, kidnapped, missed, abused, maltreated, beheaded and slaughtered during the period of last 73 years across the world especially in Pakistan’, ‘who are killers and why they kill innocent people mainly Shia-Muslims’, “what is the future of ‘West’ and what ‘East’ wants” and many other most sensitive issues and hidden secrets, sources added.
Sources further added that the European Commission (without using the name of journalist SJA Jafri and his/ PMI/ Messenger’s contribution) on Tuesday welcomed the agreement reached between the regional bloc’s parliament and the council to relax the visa rules for migrants, refugees, people and workers coming to the continent to work as skilled laborers as well as political and religious asylum.
The new rules have been changed under the revised Blue Card Directive.
The new scheme will introduce efficient rules for attracting highly skilled workers and people those need protection to the European Union (EU), including more flexible admission conditions, enhanced rights, and the possibility to move and work more easily between the EU member states.
A press release issued by the commission said that the agreement on the revised Blue Card is a “key objective” of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum.
“Today’s agreement gives the EU a modern, targeted legal migration scheme that will allow us to respond to skills shortages and make it easier for highly skilled professionals to join our workforce,” said Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas on the changes.
Schinas said that the card will help “sustain economic growth, respond to labor market needs and increase productivity” of the regional bloc so it can bounce back strongly after the coronavirus pandemic.
“This agreement on a key migration file also shows that, by working together, the EU can equip itself with a future-proof “migration system”, said the EU official.
On the other hand, the EU’s Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson noted that migrant workers make an important contribution to the bloc’s economy but she explained that there was a need to change the “law” as the EU is heading towards a “shrinking, ageing society”.
“Today’s agreement is a key element of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum that will allow us to normalize our migration policy. New rules will make it easier to work and move within the EU and will recognize the potential of highly skilled workers from diverse backgrounds, including beneficiaries of international protection,” remarked Johansson.
According to sources, to obtain an EU Blue Card, the salary threshold will be reduced to between 1 and 1.6 times the average gross annual salary. The new rules will also reduce the minimum duration of a contract of employment to six (6) months.
In this connection a press release said that the changes will also help in facilitating “recognition of professional skills for occupations in the information and communication technologies sector”.
“Applicants with professional experience equivalent to a higher education qualification in some specific sectors will also be eligible to apply,” said the press release.
Under the new rules during the first 12 months, EU Blue Card holders will only need to complete a new labor market test if they wish to change position or employer.
“Only after this period, EU Blue Card holders may be subject to an obligation to notify a change in their situation to the relevant national authorities,” read the press release.
The statement also said that highly skilled beneficiaries of international protection will be allowed to apply for an EU Blue Card.
The new law also states that the EU will now allow EU Blue Card holders to bring their family to the country they will be working in and also allows them to access the EU labor market.
Sources also revealed that the new rules also ease up the Intra-EU mobility for the Blue Card holders. Now the cardholders and their family members will be able to move to a second member state based on simplified mobility rules after 12 months of employment in the first country.
“Periods of time spent working in different member states will also be taken into account, facilitating easier access to the EU long-term resident status,” said the statement.
Even though the rules have been agreed by the Parliament and the council they still need to be confirmed formally by adopting the EU Blue Card Directive.
“Once the directive is formally adopted, member states will have two years to transpose the rules into national law,” said the statement, sources concluded.
