Shortage of skilled workers – How Germany plans to attract skilled workers from abroad

The federal cabinet has approved plans to make it easier for skilled employees to immigrate to Germany.

Among other things, the key points paper provides that

a) Recognized foreign skilled workers will in future also be able to work in occupations that have little or nothing to do with their training. In this context, professional experience will be taken into greater account when issuing a work visa.

b) In addition, recognition of the qualification acquired in the country of origin does not necessarily have to take place before entry.

The traffic light coalition is also planning a points system for the immigration of skilled workers from non-EU countries (opportunity card for job search).

The selection criteria are to include qualifications, language skills, professional experience, relevance to Germany and age.

The federal government wants to ensure that the procedures are fast and as unbureaucratic as possible.

What’s next:

The Federal Ministries of Labour, the Interior, Foreign Affairs, Economics, and Education will draft a bill that the federal government could introduce to the Bundestag in the first quarter of 2023.