Shortage of skilled workers: Coalition wants to make immigration easier for job seekers

Jobseekers from abroad should be able to come to Germany more easily in the future.

Shortage of skilled workers: Coalition wants to make immigration easier for job seekers

Jobseekers from abroad should be able to come to Germany more easily in the future. A so-called opportunity card should be introduced for this purpose, as announced on Friday from government circles in Berlin. This provides for new cornerstones for the immigration of skilled workers, which are now being further coordinated within the federal government.

The selection criteria for the opportunity card should include qualifications, language skills, professional experience and a connection to Germany, according to the key points. The possibility of a two-week trial should be created. In this way, citizens from non-EU countries with good potential who are not already recognized as skilled workers should also be able to stay in Germany.

As before, according to the key points, the following should apply: "Recognized foreign skilled workers form (...) the backbone of labor migration to Germany." A recognized qualification, an employment contract and employment conditions that are equivalent to those in Germany should continue to apply as prerequisites. In the future, as a skilled worker, you should be allowed to do any recognized job.

Ampel wants immigration against a shortage of skilled workers

In addition to specialists and university graduates recognized in Germany and people with potential, another group should be recognized more easily. These are people with two years of experience in the profession to be practiced. They should have a vocational or university degree that is state-recognized in the country in which it was obtained. In the future, however, it should not be necessary for the degree to be recognized as equivalent to a degree in Germany.

Overall, the planned law aims to increase the immigration of skilled workers. "Germany urgently needs skilled workers across all sectors," says the key points. Last week, on the occasion of the adoption of a skilled labor strategy in the Federal Cabinet of the German Press Agency, Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) said that the government wanted to present key points "for a more modern skilled labor immigration law" in the autumn.

In their coalition agreement, the SPD, Greens and FDP had announced, among other things, that they wanted to establish a further pillar in addition to the existing immigration law with the introduction of an opportunity card.

Advocate in other ministries

"We want to make immigration law much more open and simple," said Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens), according to a statement distributed in Berlin. "In addition to the legal changes, we also want to set up comprehensive accompanying measures for the immigration process, from recruiting foreign specialists and visa procedures to initial integration in Germany."

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) said that she associated many faces of young, well-educated people "whom I met on my trips abroad" with the word "immigration of skilled workers". Heil said the coalition was paving the way "to attract bright minds and helping hands for our job market." Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) said: "We want skilled workers to be able to come to Germany quickly and get started."

Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger added that educational immigration will also be strengthened with simplified opportunities to come to Germany for training or study and to stay here.

Federal Ministry of the Interior on the Skilled Immigration Act

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