I used to have a very small visa consultancy business in the Czech Republic. Rarely, I will still help someone who asks me with a residency permit application.
An old client of mine (we are both Canadian) who I helped get a partnership visa (I.E., a permit to stay in the Czech Republic based on his being in a relationship) contacted me asking if I could help him “update his permanent residence.” His current residency permit allows him to work in the Czech Republic only; he would like to get permanent residency that would allow him to work anywhere in the EU.
I don’t remember hearing about such a residency permit and can’t find instructions for getting such a thing on the Czech government’s website. Is this even possible? Is there some way to upgrade your permanent residency as a third-country national to be able to work anywhere in the EU (be it a permanent residency permit or a temporary or long-term residency permit), and what would be the steps to get it? Or would such a person simply have to apply for residency in every country they wish to work in according to that country’s rules?
This is the link about it on the Czech government’s web site:
It says something about the required steps.
Subsequently, if your client wanted to apply for residency in some country, he or she still needs to apply according to that specific country’s rules. For example, to move to the Netherlands, he or she would not need a provisional visa; your client, or your client’s employer, would be able to apply directly for a Dutch residence permit directly upon, or even before, arrival in the Netherlands.
This is in line with my impression so far. So basically, there is no general permanent residency that covers all of the European Union / European Community, and he would need to apply for residency in whatever country he wants to work separately?
That is correct. However, his status as a “long-term EC resident” cuts out a lot of red tape, as in he can move to whatever country and start working immediately while the paperwork gets sorted, depending on local rules of course. There are immigration lawyers and paralegals on this board who can perhaps provide more detailed/up-to-date information.
This is exactly my status (along with my wife, and our kids who inherit the status from us). When we first moved to Luxembourg, we were resident workers in this country only. We could travel in the Schengen Area, but only as tourists; we wouldn’t be allowed to seek new positions outside our home country. Our residency status was closely tied to our employment; if we were both laid off, we’d have 90 days to find new work, or we’d be required to leave.
After several years of residency, demonstrating continued commitment to our host country (stable work, our kids in local school, progress toward acquiring citizenship, no criminal activity, a bunch of other factors), we applied for and were granted long-term status. We cannot simply pick up stakes and work in a different EU country, but we can apply for employment elsewhere and, if hired, start in the position on a probationary basis while we’re fast-tracked for a new residency approval in that new country. And more importantly for us, if we lose our current jobs, we don’t face a quickly-ticking clock to find a new job; we have a much longer timeframe before the lack of employment becomes a problem.
So in answer to the OP, while the kind of blanket “foreign worker anywhere in the EU” residency category does not exist, there’s an alternative which is sort of similar but has many limitations, the most significant of which is that it is granted only after having earned the opportunity via several years of work in the initial country.