A coherent, future-proof, and attractive EU visa policy is essential for strengthening Europe’s position as a global hub for research, innovation, education, and economic growth. Visa rules directly shape the EU’s ability to attract and retain international students, researchers, and highly skilled professionals, while also enabling collaboration with partners worldwide. LERU therefore welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to develop a new EU Visa Strategy, and is glad to be able to contribute to the Commission’s call for evidence to share our perspective and recommendations to ensure the strategy maximises Europe’s ability to attract and retain global talent.
In its contribution, LERU outlines valued aspects of the initiative, like the recognition of key groups, the streamlined and digitalised procedures, and the strategic ambition and external positioning. Together, these elements represent a promising start towards a stronger EU Visa Strategy, but further measures are required to fully deliver on Europe’s ambitions. We identified several issues and therefore put forward the following recommendations:
- Ensure smooth mobility while maintaining robust security standards.
- Simplify document requirements and reduce legalisation burdens.
- Create centralised digital portals for visa information and applications.
- Accelerate processing and increase capacity.
- Improve access and intra-EU mobility for non-EEA nationals.
- Enhance transparency at every stage.
- Make fees fairer.
- Facilitate family reunification.
- Establish an ambitious EU-level legal framework that is practical, implementable, and sustainable at the national level.
- Align the Visa Strategy with other EU strategies and policy frameworks, especially the ERA Act, and anticipate implications arising from changes to visa rules.
We hope this input will support the Commission in enhancing the strategy’s impact and coherence, and remain available for continued dialogue and future collaboration.
https://www.leru.org/files/News/EU-VISA-strategy_LERU-response.pdf