Germany’s Skilled Immigration Act that expands the number of opportunities for qualified professionals to come to work in Germany has been in force since March 1, 2020. During his recent visit to India, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that he was “determined to reduce bureaucratic hurdles to immigration for skilled workers and make it easier to come to Germany as a specialist, including with your family.”

The German Chancellor said that he wants to “establish a new system that allows people to apply for a visa to Germany who still have not signed a specific job contract, but who come with a lot of talent and skills, and then find a job in Germany.”

The statement comes in the wake of Germany’s acute shortage of skilled professionals in various sectors. According to a survey by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, there are nearly 2 million vacant posts in the country that total to roughly Euro 100 billion in lost output.

In December 2022, the German-Indian Migration and Mobility Agreement was signed during Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock’s visit to India. It is the first extensive agreement in the field of migration concluded between Germany and a country of origin. The agreement includes the Academic Evaluation Centre in New Delhi, 18 months extended residence permits to students, 3,000 jobseeker visas annually, liberalised short-stay multiple entry visas, and streamlined readmission procedures.

Currently, over 200,000 Indian nationals are living in Germany, with the vast majority of them holding a regular residence permit. In addition, 34,000 Indians are studying in Germany, making up the second-largest group of foreign students.

This year’s proposed amendments of Skilled Immigration Act will make immigration to Germany much easier for skilled, qualified professionals.

Definition of the qualified professional: The Skilled Immigration Act defines a qualified professional as:

· Persons with a higher education degree which is comparable to a higher education degree in Germany.

· Persons who have either completed qualified vocational training in Germany (for which a training period of at least two years is generally required) or persons who have acquired a vocational qualification abroad which has been recognised as equivalent to German qualified vocational training. Shorter foreign vocational training courses may be considered equivalent to qualified vocational training in Germany if the training does not differ substantially or if these differences have been compensated for.

Opportunity Card for Job Seekers: Those wanting to move to Germany can now step into the country and then look for a job through the recommended Opportunity Card.  Third-country nationals without a job offer and sufficient work qualifications, but with good potential, will most likely also be given the opportunity to work in Germany.

Valid for one year, the Opportunity Card is a valid jobseeker’s visa, which will be issued to foreigners according to a points-based system. With this visa, foreigners will be able to work in trial or secondary employment.

The job-search Opportunity Card will be a transparent, unbureaucratic points system through which candidates for immigration can prove their potential on the basis of specific parameters – such as age, language skills, professional experience or qualifications – and the collection of points.

EU Blue Card to become accessible for more specialists with a university degree: The EU Blue Card – a EU Residency granted by the Member States individually, to non-EU highly-qualified workers – will now be more accessible for a higher number of specialists who hold a university degree.

Highly qualified immigrants with a university degree will be able to apply for the EU Blue Card, for which the required salary threshold of €56,400 gross is planned to be reduced to €48,626.

Formal recognition of university degrees no longer necessary before arrival: Under the present regulations, applicants have to get their degrees recognised by a relevant body in Germany prior to their arrival in Germany. However, under the new system, the skilled immigrant worker will be able to initiate the process of recognition of degree after they have entered the country.

“In the future, it will be sufficient if someone can prove their qualification for a non-regulated profession through a foreign professional or university degree and professional experience,” Federal Ministry of the Interior and Homeland (BMI) said in a statement.