S.L. 217.15 чл. 15EC long-term resident status for EU Blue Card holders. S.L. 217.05. S.L. 217.05. S.L. 217.05.

(1) The provisions of the Long-Term Residents (Third-Country Nationals) Regulations shall apply.

(2) A third-country national who has been issued with an EU

Blue Card by one or more Member States and, having made use of the possibility provided for in regulation 17, is allowed to cumulate periods of residence in different Member States in order to fulfil the requirement concerning the duration of residence provided for in regulation 4(1) of the Status of Long-term Residents (Third-Country Nationals) Regulations, if the following conditions are met:

(a) five years of legal and continuous residence within the territory of the European Union as an EU Blue Card holder; and

(b) immediately prior to the submission of the relevant application, the third-country national has resided legally and continuously in Malta for two years as an EU Blue Card holder.

(3) For the purposes of these regulations only, and without prejudice to the provisions of regulation 4(3) of Status of Long-term Residents (Third-Country Nationals) Regulations, for the purpose of calculating the period of legal and continuous residence in the Community, periods of absence from the territory of the European Union shall not interrupt the period referred to in sub-regulation (2)(a) if they are shorter than twelve consecutive months and do not exceed in total eighteen months within the period referred to in sub-regulation (2)(a) when such absence is due to:

(a) the exercise of an economic activity in an employed or self-employed capacity; or

(b) the performance of a voluntary service; or

(c) study purposes in the country of origin of the third-country national.

(4) Notwithstanding the provisions of regulation 9(1)(c) of the Status of Long-term Residents (Third-Country Nationals) Regulations, a third-country national who has been granted a residence permit under regulation 16, shall lose his long-term residence permit status if he is absent from the territory of the Union for a period of twenty-four consecutive months.

(5) The provisions of sub-regulation (4) shall apply to the family members who have been granted long-term residence of the third-country national.

(6) Regulations 13(e) and 14 shall continue to apply to holders of a long-term residence permit with the remark referred to in regulation 16, where applicable, after the EU Blue Card holder has become an EC long-term resident. HIGHLY QUALIFIED EMPLOYMENT