Germany’s diplomatic missions abroad issued almost 30,000 so-called “employment visas” in March and April, most of them to people from Vietnam, India and Turkey.
The Foreign Office announced this in response to a request from FOCUS. 11,000 visas were issued under the Skilled Immigration Act, which came into force on March 1. In order to process applications more quickly, some foreign missions were given additional staff and the process was digitalized.
The current increase continues a trend. After only around 20,500 visas were issued for skilled workers in 2020, the number rose to over 70,000 in 2023.
The skilled worker immigration law, which was reformed last year, has been gradually removing hurdles to taking up work in Germany since November 18. Among other things, immigrants are allowed to take up employment if they have a professional or university qualification valid in their home country and at least two years of professional experience.
From June, the so-called “Opportunity Card” will be available. Based on a points system, immigrants can then come to Germany to look for a job here.
Experts estimate that Germany needs 400,000 skilled workers from abroad each year to compensate for the aging of society. Depending on how many people emigrate, the need will be even higher.
Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) is determined to recruit enough experts. Bernd Fitzenberger, director of the Institute for Labor Market and Occupational Research at the Federal Employment Agency, remains skeptical. The goal cannot be achieved “one-to-one.” After all, demographic change is not just affecting Germany. “In some other European countries, the proportion of senior citizens in the population is even higher than here.”