Skilled Immigration Act, one year on

1 March 2021 will mark the first anniversary of the entry into force of the Skilled Immigration Act. Generally, initial outcomes are very positive.

• Over the period from 1 March 2020 to 31 December 2020 and despite the pandemic, German missions abroad have issued almost 30,000 visas to qualified skilled workers and trainees from third countries.
• A number of federal states have established central immigration authorities specialising in questions relating to skilled worker immigration.
• A Central Service Center for Professional Recognition was set up at the Federal Employment Agency for skilled workers abroad interested in recognition.
• Increasing use is being made in practice of this important new instrument in the accelerated skilled worker process.

When the act came into effect a year ago, I said that the Skilled Immigration Act was a milestone in German migration policy. Today I can point to figures which speak for themselves. Just one year on from the introduction, we are being successful in the competition for qualified skilled workers and at the same time we are also offering people a legal route into the German labour market.

HORST SEEHOFER, FEDERAL MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR

The competition for the very best people begins before they arrive in Germany. This is why we set up the Federal Office for Foreign Affairs at the start of the year where our experts process digital visa applications from all over the world. This has proved to be a success factor, particularly considering the pandemic and the significant restrictions in many countries. Therefore, despite all the odds, even in 2020 we were able to attract the many skilled workers to Germany our companies urgently require.HEIKO MAAS, FOREIGN MINISTER

The coronavirus pandemic has clearly shown the importance of skilled workers for our country – in the health and care sector, for companies searching for intelligent IT solutions, in utilities and in many other areas. Demographic trends in our society and the increasing use of technology in the world of work are ensuring a sustained high demand for skilled workers – including from abroad. In this respect, we have created an excellent framework with the Skilled Immigration Act which is already having an effect today and will have even more of an effect in the future. Equally important, at the very least, is the practical implementation. For this we have a very strong partner in the Federal Employment Agency which brings together employers and interested skilled workers from abroad and does this both locally in the job centres as well as centrally through the International Placement Service. And we shall only be successful if we can show we have excellent working conditions and are all pulling in the same direction. Working conditions in particular are a special concern of mine. We are competing globally for good skilled workers – and there is no guaranteed success here. We have to be as attractive as possible. The Skilled Immigration Act has laid the foundation for this.

HUBERTUS HEIL, FEDERAL MINISTER OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS

Meeting demand for skilled workers is and remains a key challenge for Germany as a location for business. This was the case before the coronavirus pandemic, and continues to be so. We need skilled workers in the health sector, in the skilled trades and for the digitalisation of the country. For this reason it was correct, a year ago, to increase the opportunities for immigration for qualified skilled workers from third countries – in particular for those with vocational qualifications – with the Skilled Immigration Act. And it is good news that, despite the pandemic, the new legal framework is starting to take effect.

PETER ALTMEIER, FEDERAL MINISTER FOR ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

The Skilled Immigration Act is a modern set of regulations enabling qualified skilled workers from non-EU countries to come to Germany by means of an organised and fast process. In this way it helps the German economy to meet the demand for skilled workers.

All of the regulations protecting against the spread of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 apply to the entry of skilled workers from third countries (for example coronavirus entry regulation and the quarantine regulations of the federal states).

Background information

The Skilled Immigration Act was part of the legislative package on migration passed by the German Federal Parliament in June 2019. It enacts the provisions of the governing parties in the Coalition Agreement.

The Skilled Immigration Act focuses on skilled workers with qualified vocational education and training. It allowed skilled workers entry into Germany to search for a training position and for employment.

For access to the labour market, it remains essential that the equivalence of the qualification is tested and that the working conditions are checked. Measures supporting the recognition of foreign professional qualifications have been made more attractive and practical.

• IT skilled workers with extensive professional experience can enter Germany without a formal qualification.
• Workers with low levels of qualification essentially remain excluded from the new immigration regulations.

Alongside the Skilled Immigration Act, the federal government has worked hard on developing further measures to improve administration and recognition procedures and to extend language support. The government has also worked on a strategy to recruit skilled workers from abroad (including targeted advertising abroad).

Detailed information for companies and foreign skilled workers can be found on the federal government's specialist portal for the recruitment of skilled workers. 

Make it in Germany