Job hunting gets easier in Germany! 5 game-changing reforms to attract more immigrants

The German government has approved an updated version of the Skilled Immigration Act, aimed at attracting more skilled workers from third countries to address the country's labour shortages. The draft law was submitted by the Ministry of the Interior and Homeland and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, and was approved by the cabinet on March 29.

The new law is designed to facilitate the immigration of foreign workers who possess specialized skills in fields that are currently facing labour crunch. The government hopes that by making it easier for these workers to enter the country, they will be able to address this growing crisis, particularly in small and medium-sized businesses and the trades.

Commenting on the approval of the new law, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser described it as a first step towards the creation of a modern immigration law that would bring skilled workers to Germany. “We will ensure that we bring the skilled workers into the country that our economy has been urgently needing for years. Anyone who speaks to small and medium-sized businesses and the trades knows that that this is the only way we can ensure the prosperity of our country,” she said, as quoted by SchengenVisaInfo.com. 

Similarly, Labor Minister Hubertus Heil stressed the need for a skilled workforce and described securing this as one of Germany's greatest economic challenges for the next few decades.

Here are a few key changes: 

• The EU Blue Card will become accessible to more specialists with a university degree
• Foreigners with at least two years of professional experience and a state-recognized professional qualification in their home country, will be permitted to come for work in Germany. A salary threshold, however, will be observed for this category.
• Professional qualification no longer have to go through recognition procedures in Germany. Those who wish to have their professional qualifications recognized in Germany may do so upon arrival, and no longer are obliged to complete it before.
• A new Job-Seeker visa for people who wish to go to Germany and search for a job in their field. Employment of up to twenty hours per week will be permitted with this kind of visa.
• Short-term employment for up to eight months will become possible for sectors with a particularly high demand, though under a quota.