On Thursday, the cabinet of the Luxembourg government met and agreed to modify the amended law of 29 August 2008 on the free movement of persons and immigration and the law of 18 February 2013 on the reception of au pairs.

The draft bill transposes Directive 2016/801/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2016 on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of research, studies, training, voluntary service and student exchange programs, educational projects and au pairs in national legislation. One of the novelties is the introduction of the right for students and researchers to stay nine months after completing their studies or research activities in order to find a job or start a business.

In addition, the directive provides for provisions facilitating the intra-European mobility of students and researchers. Thus, students who follow EU programmes or multilateral programmes with mobility measures will not need to apply for a new residence permit but must only inform the Member State in which they are traveling. Au pairs are covered for the first time by European legislation.

The Council also endorsed the draft Grand-Ducal Regulation modifying the amended Grand-Ducal Regulation of 5 September 2008 defining the criteria for resources and housing provided for by the Law of 29 August 2008 on the free movement of persons and immigration.

The amendments to the Grand-Ducal Regulation take account of the adaptation of the conditions governing residence permits issued to persons covered by the directive and the mobility schemes for researchers and students.

The text clarifies the level of sufficient resources as provided for in Article 34 of the law defining the conditions for a stay of less than three months in Luxembourg.