German employers are hundreds of thousands of workers are missing. IT and technology, healthcare, contracting, technology and logistics are among the hardest hit sectors.
The new skilled immigration law, adopted this summer by the German parliament, the Bundestag, aims to quickly lower barriers to the immigration of skilled workers from countries outside the European Union.
The first changes will come into force on November 18, 2023. The new rules will come into force in three stages. Details, available in German, English, French and Spanish, are available on the government website.
European Blue Card
With immediate effect, more university workers and similar qualifications from third countries will be able to come to Germany with the EU Blue Card without German language requirements.
Annual salary limits, put in place to avoid salary dumping, will be lowered to just under €40,000 ($43,500) for entry-level jobs and in-demand jobs, known as “job bottlenecks”. ‘strangulation’; the threshold for all other professions will be set at €44,000 from 2023.
These professions now include educators and nurses.
In the IT sector, skilled workers without a university degree can also receive an EU Blue Card if they can demonstrate at least three years of relevant professional experience. Practical nurses with less than three years of nursing training must also have access to the German labor market.
The Blue Card is the EU’s answer to the US Green Card. In Germany this has been around for a decade. With the drop in required income, it will now be easier to obtain. Once in Germany, workers will also have more flexibility to change careers, although regulated professions – such as law and medicine – will still require the necessary qualifications.
Right of residence, more flexibility
Skilled workers with professional or academic qualifications and meeting all requirements are now entitled to a residence permit. Previously, diplomatic missions abroad and immigration authorities had discretionary powers.
The Federal Employment Agency has been tasked with speeding up the approval process for foreign applicants. Experienced skilled workers will no longer need their qualifications recognized in Germany if they are already recognized by their home country and have at least two years of professional experience.
Other changes are expected to take effect on March 1, 2024.
diplomas and qualifications
Anyone who needs to complete training in Germany to obtain a diploma corresponding to their equivalent foreign education can stay in Germany for up to three years and work in parallel for up to 20 hours per week. Part-time work will also be generally extended to students and interns.
If German employers agree, qualified workers can come directly to Germany and work while the procedure for recognizing their qualifications is ongoing. The stay can be extended up to three years. Prerequisites are a professional qualification of at least two years and a minimum German level of A2.
Family reunion
Concerning spouses and minor children, qualified workers will have to prove that they can support themselves, but not that they have sufficient living space.
They can also bring their parents or in-laws, if their own residence permit is valid from March 2024.
Other changes will come into effect on June 1, 2024.
Opportunity Card
A points-based “opportunity card” should be introduced in June for people with an equivalent foreign diploma. This will allow them to come to Germany for a year to look for work, provided they can demonstrate financial independence. For others, a university degree or professional diploma of at least two years, as well as an A1 level in German or a B2 level in English, will be required.
Workers with an opportunity card can work up to 20 hours per week, including during a probationary period. The opportunity card can be extended for up to two years for those who have a qualified employment contract.
Western Balkans Regulation
Another regulation concerns people from Western Balkan countries, which doubles the quota to 50,000 workers from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia who can come to Germany. These are countries that have been on the waiting list to join the EU for a long time.
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