EU blue card sometimes is compared to US green card. Blue color is referred to as the color of the European Union flag, for this reason the card is meant to be blue .Its purpose is to give work and residence permit to non-EU/EEA nationals. It provides rights for people to merge into socio-economic landscape and get on a path leading to permanent residence in Europe. Simply put, people can live and work in Europe without restrictions, while owning a blue card.

Purpose of introducing a EU blue card
It was introduced by European Commission in 2007, proposed and implemented in 2009 as well as issued by 25 countries which are member states of EU. According to Eurostat data in 2016 the highest number of work permits issued was registered in Germany (more than 17,000), France (more than 700) and Poland (more than 600).

The EU blue card’s second purpose is to make Europe a more attractive destination for professionals from outside the European Union. A special EU Blue Card Scheme was created for all EU member states, except the UK, Ireland and Denmark, inviting highly qualified persons to EU states. This scheme is supposed to make Europe the world’s most favorite migration destination.

This can be ensured by providing equal salaries and working conditions to foreigners, free movement within the Schengen area, socio-economic rights, favorable conditions for family reunification, a perspective of permanent residence and a freedom of association as well. There are several main benefits of obtaining the EU Blue Card. These include very high chances of getting a permanent residence permit which entitles to any kind of occupation under facilitated conditions, equal rights as well as equal opportunity to work in the largest Europe’s economy and vast business market and easy-travel opportunities.

Requirements for a blue card application
Although the same basic criteria can be applied for all 25 member states of EU, there are minor additional criteria set by each member state for its own. Generally, the Blue Card can be requested, if three main conditions are met. These are: non-EU citizenship, foreigners to be educated or professionally experienced (highly-qualified or skilled workers, researchers, students and vocational trainees) and having employment contract or binding job offer (seasonal workers, intra-corporate transfers). A person can be considered high-qualified worker if he or she has a work contract of at least one year, and if he or she can meet the conditions listed below. If a person is able to meet such obligatory requirements, he will be given an online profile in the EU Blue Card network which has a double function – to consult foreigners by employers in order to offer them a job contract and to enable foreigners to submit their applications.

During past few years there is a lack of workforce which can be noticed in such fields as: medicine, technology, informatics (IT), natural sciences and mathematics. This means that foreigners, working in mentioned fields usually have a higher chance of obtaining the EU blue card.

Additionally, if a person is self-employed or entrepreneur, he/she will be able to receive the blue card in case he/she possesses sufficient financial resources, has a business which will have a positive effect on the economy of the hosting state and can provide an economic interest that is short in the hosting EU member state.

When applying, it is important to consider time frames needed for gathering all the necessary documents. Usually 4-6 months are needed to prepare all the required documentation. Some countries set appointments at the appropriate Embassies or Consulates in foreigners’ home countries, some offer online applications which may be filled by foreigner himself/herself or his/her employer or a law firm. After applying the person is expected to wait for up to 3 months until the processing is completed.

In Latvia, the form of government is a parliamentary republic. In Latvia, legislative power rests with a saeima. The head of government is Raimonds Vējonis. A country's governmental structure determines the way laws are written, passed and interpreted. The type of government determines the way elections are held as well as the country's system of policing its citizens. The term of office of the head of state in Latvia lasts until January 1, 2019. The length of a head of state's term of office has a direct impact on the power and influence of the leadership position. A longer term gives the head of state more authority. The term of office of the head of state in Latvia lasts until January 1st, 2019. The length of a head of state's tenure has a direct bearing on the power and influence of the leadership position. A longer term gives the head of state more authority. The Global Peace Index (GPI) for Latvia is 1.695. Due to the strong presence of the law enforcement authorities and the high level of social responsibility, Latvia is very safe in international comparison. The strength of the legal rights index for Latvia is 9. Overall, it is considered quite strong – bankruptcy and collateral laws can protect the rights of borrowers and lenders quite well; Credit information is plentiful and easily accessible.

Government
Raimonds Vējonis is the head of government in Latvia. The system of government in Latvia is a parliamentary republic. In Latvia, legislative power rests with a saeima; It is a unicameral legislature and therefore a unicameral Saeima. According to the World Bank Group, Latvia's government effectiveness index is 0.97. This shows that the government of Latvia is effective. Citizens benefit from well-organized public and civil services and government efficiency is high. Although some services may be lacking in some areas, the overall environment encouraged by state legislation is favorable.

Every year over USD 1 trillion is distributed worldwide in the form of foreign direct investment. Investments by foreign investors and entrepreneurs are of significant value to the country and are seen as a sign of a healthy economic, political and legal environment. When it comes to investing your money, some countries are simply better than others. It depends on numerous factors such as the country's overall economy and growth prospects, political stability, taxation and the overall legal system, the complexity of starting a business, opening an account and the workforce.

In this article, we summarize three jurisdictions in terms of benefits and other features crucial to foreign investors. These countries have already proven their ability to attract multinationals and other investments, but when it comes to choosing the right place to invest, each country is different and might be better than others in one or more factors.

Singapore
The first country to be analyzed is Singapore, which ranks 2nd among the best countries for investment and 15th among the best countries in the world in the US News Best Countries Ranking developed in cooperation with its international partners .

Located in Southeast Asia, Singapore is a bustling metropolis and home to one of the busiest ports in the world. As one of Asia's four economic tigers, the country has experienced impressive growth in recent years thanks to efficient production and manufacturing processes and innovations in the pharmaceutical and electronics industries. High GDP per capita and low unemployment make Singapore one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

Hong Kong
Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. While Hong Kong is often considered as a separate entity from China, it is not a country and therefore enters all lists and rankings under the name of China. China takes 26th place among best countries to invest in and 20th place among best countries in general.

Hong Kong’s legal system is characterised by the strict adherence to principles and the rule of law. It operates a free trade economic system and promotes minimal government interference in most sections of the economy. This reflects on the small number of tariffs and duties on traded goods and therefore it is a better place for investments than other parts of China.
Foreign investments are attracted by promoting a favourable investment climate with low taxes, few restrictions and additional incentives to encourage investments. Corporate profits tax rate is 16.5% with a possibility to waive 75% of the tax. There is no tax levied on dividends.
Company incorporation is a simple and fast-forward process. All applications for company incorporation also include an application for the business registry. The application can be submitted online and the processing generally takes one hour (as opposed to four days if the application is submitted in hard copy).

Due to its impressive growth and increasing immigration, Singapore attracts the best professionals to its workforce. The country offers cultural diversity and, with four official languages, is an important gateway for international trade.
The corporate tax rate is 17%, but it can be reduced by taking advantage of numerous government subsidies, incentives, and other programs.
Singapore's legal system is known for its integrity, efficiency and fairness, making the country better than many as a place to start and operate a business. The World Bank Group has recognized Singapore's political and regulatory environment as the most business-friendly in the world.
Other factors:
Least Corrupt Country in Asia;
Best IP protection in Asia;
Most popular country for arbitration in Asia.

United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates or UAE is listed as the 22nd best country in the world and is not mentioned among the best countries for investment according to the above ranking.

Before the discovery of oil in the mid-20th century, the UAE's economy was mainly based on fishing and the pearling industry. The country experienced rapid growth and general transformation along with the start of oil exports in the 1960s. Today the country's GDP can be compared to that of leading European countries and the World Economic Forum has named the UAE the most competitive place in the Arab world.

When incorporating a company in the United Arab Emirates, foreign investors can choose between offshore or onshore registration, whichever is more suitable for the type of company and the activities planned. Onshore registration means that the investor establishes a business presence on the UAE mainland. Offshore registration usually refers to a business presence in one of the UAE's free trade zones.
The UAE does not levy corporate income tax at the federal level. However, most Emirates have some corporate income taxation and can even reach 55% for certain industries. In practice, corporate income tax is mainly levied on gas and oil companies and branches of foreign banks.
Other factors:
The UAE is among the most liberal places in the Gulf with a legal system that allows freedom of religion;
No sales tax or VAT but with plans to introduce it in the future;
In addition to traditional banking, Islamic (or Sharia-compliant) banking has seen tremendous growth in recent times.

The total population of American Samoa is 55,679 people. The people of American Samoa speak English and Samoan. The linguistic diversity of American Samoa is vaguely diverse according to a fractionation scale, which is 0.1733 for American Samoa. The average age is around 28.3 years. Life expectancy in American Samoa is 69.3. The female fertility rate in American Samoa is 2.92. Around 75% of American Samoa's population is obese. Ethnic diversity is nearly uniform according to a fractionation scale, which is 0 for American Samoa. Details of the language, religion, age, gender distribution, and advancement of the people of American Samoa can be found in the sections below, as well as the section on education in the country.

Population
In American Samoa, the population density is 326 people per square kilometer (848 per sq mi). Based on these statistics, this country is considered densely populated. The total population of American Samoa is 55,679 people. American Samoa has approximately 4,750 foreign immigrants. Immigrants in American Samoa account for 0.1 percent of the total number of immigrants worldwide. Immigrants in American Samoa account for 71.2 percent of the total number of immigrants worldwide. The ethnic diversity of American Samoa is nearly uniform according to an ethnicity-based fractionation scale. Ethnic Fractionation (EF) deals with the number, size, socioeconomic distribution, and geographic location of diverse cultural groups, usually within a state or some other demarcated area. Specific cultural characteristics can refer to language, skin color, religion, ethnicity, customs and traditions, history, or other distinctive criteria, alone or in combination. These characteristics are often used for social exclusion and power monopolization. The index of ethnic fractionation in American Samoa is 0. This means that the people living in American Samoa are somewhat fractionated. EF is usually measured as 1 minus the Herfindahl concentration index of ethnolinguistic group proportions, which reflects the probability that two randomly drawn individuals from the population belong to different groups. The theoretical maximum of EF of 1 means that each person belongs to a different group. Read below American Samoa statistics on average age and gender distribution at different ages.

Age
The average age is around 28.3 years. The average age for men is 28.8 and the average age for women is 27.8.

Gender
The sex ratio, or number of males per female (estimated at birth), is 1.06. It can be further broken down into the following categories: sex ratio below 15 - 1.04; sex ratio from 15 to 64 - 1.03; sex ratio over 64 - 0.88; Overall sex ratio - 1.02. The overall sex ratio differs from the sex ratio estimated at birth. This is because some newborns are included in the sex ratio estimated at birth, but die within the first few weeks of life and are not included in the overall sex ratio.

Religion
The majority religion of American Samoa is Christianity, whose adherents make up 98.3% of all religious believers in the country. Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as presented in the New Testament. Christianity is the largest religion in the world with over 2.4 billion followers known as Christians. Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind, whose coming as Christ or Messiah was prophesied in the Old Testament. Besides Christianity, there are several other religions in the country. Other religions in American Samoa are Buddhism, folk religions. The religious diversity of American Samoa is quite diverse according to a fractionation scale based on the number of religions in American Samoa. The index of religious fractionalization in American Samoa is 0.6395. This score means there are several major religions evenly distributed in American Samoa.