1. Introduction: Acute shortage of professionals in Germany
There's never enough professionals, and numerous German employers particularly feel this. To address this issue, the ruling German coalition known as Ampelkoalition (Traffic light coalition) has made changes to the Immigration Law. But what will actually change with these new measures?
2. Immigration Law: Open doors for foreign professionals
Foreign professionals will now find it easier to deal with bureaucratic obstacles on their way to Germany, thanks to the new Professional Immigration Law. Rules have been created that should ease the process for foreign workers eager to join the German labor market.
3. Opportunity for all: New scoring system
With the new law comes a new scoring system, “Chancenkarte” or Opportunity Card. Similar to other immigrant-profile countries like Canada, Germany will now allow foreign professionals to enter the country even if they don't have a concrete job offer.
4. Selection criteria for professionals
Criteria for coming to Germany include “sufficient” knowledge of the German language, work experience, age, and connection to Germany – for instance, having family members already living in the country.
5. New work rights for professionals
The Opportunity Card allows people from non-EU countries to enter Germany and look for a job for a period of one year. During this time, they're allowed to work part-time – up to 20 hours a week.
6. Agreement on recognizing qualifications
The new law emphasizes work experience. This means foreign workers should be granted an immigration permit if they have at least two years of work experience and a state-recognized professional qualification in their home country.
7. Change of track for people in the asylum-seeking process
The new law also opens the labor market doors for people in the asylum-seeking process, provided they have appropriate qualifications. This change, known as “track change”, provides a perspective for a greater integration of people who came to Germany through other means.
8. Blue Card EU: New conditions
The EU Blue Card is a residence permit that allows people from third countries, who have completed higher education, to work in Germany. The conditions for minimum wages to start working in Germany have now been lowered. Under previous regulations, to apply for the EU Blue Card, candidates had to receive a job offer that paid at least 58,400 euros gross annually. This amount has now been reduced to 43,800 euros gross annually.
9. More visas for professionals
Although this new law is a good start, existing issues with bureaucracy and lengthy procedures remain. To attract professionals to Germany, simpler visa procedures are also needed. According to Foreign Minister Annalene Baerbock and Labor Minister Hubertus Heil, by the end of 2024, they plan to process four times as many visas for professionals than before.
10. Expected number of new professionals
The ruling Ampel coalition expects that the new regulations will attract about 75,000 immigrants from non-EU countries every year. There are also plans to increase quotas for workers from the Western Balkans.
11.Increased quotas for workers from the Western Balkans
One of the significant changes brought by the new law is an increase in quotas for workers from the Western Balkans. This special regulation, known as the “Western Balkan regulation”, allows citizens of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia to access the German labor market regardless of their qualifications. The previous annual contingent of workers from these areas was limited to 25,000 people. However, with the new amendments, this number will double to 50,000 workers annually. This change provides an opportunity for more people to move and work in Germany, contributing to addressing the shortage of skilled labor in Germany. According to the president of the Employers' Association, Rainer Dulger, this regulation is a “success model” that should be expanded to other countries. Welcoming these changes, Dulger emphasized that they will strengthen the German economy and contribute to the country's growth and prosperity.
12. Challenges in attracting professionals
The Institute for Labor Market and Occupation Research (IAB) has calculated that Germany would need to attract a net of 400,000 people annually to maintain a constant number of potential workers. However, challenges like the requirement for a high level of German language knowledge and lengthy administrative procedures remain.
13. Conclusion: A step forward, but with challenges
Despite the progress, this new immigration law brings certain challenges. The key to success lies in the efficient implementation of these measures, with an emphasis on reducing bureaucracy and speeding up procedures. Only then will Germany be able to fully harness the potentials and benefits of immigration for its economic growth and prosperity.
