Skilled Immigration Act passed in Germany
The bill in question, which will help in the fight against the shortage of qualified labor force, was approved by the votes of the Social Democratic Party, the Greens and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), which formed the government.
Thus, the Bundestag paved the way for the government to take measures to facilitate the arrival of immigrants from outside the European Union in Germany. While the main opposition Christian Union parties (CDU/CSU) and the Alternative Party for Germany (AfD) voted against the bill, the Left Party abstained.
388 “yes” and 241 “no” votes were cast for the new law in the voting in which 661 deputies participated in the Bundestag. 31 deputies also abstained.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, in her speech on the law in the parliament, argued that with the law, Germany would have “the most modern immigration law in the world” and emphasized that the next step for qualified immigrants would be to “significantly reduce bureaucracy”.
With the law, the German government aims to combat the shortage of skilled labor in Europe’s largest economy.
While German companies have had serious difficulties in finding qualified employees for a long time, the qualified employee shortage was at the level of 1.98 million in 2022. The lack of a skilled workforce affects many sectors and companies, while a shortage of skilled workers is considered to be a risk to prosperity in Germany.
The number of immigrants will increase up to 60 thousand annually.
After pressure from the German business community, the German government created a skilled migrant strategy to facilitate skilled labor migration in the country. The new law includes measures to facilitate the arrival of immigrants from outside the European Union to Germany.
With the said law, the number of immigrants coming from outside the EU will increase to 60 thousand annually. The new law provides three ways for foreign workers to enter the country, including a new “opportunity card” for people who do not have a job offer but have the potential to find a job.
In the first of these, people must have a university or vocational qualification diploma that is recognized in Germany and receive a job offer from a company. The second path requires at least two years of experience in a relevant business field, as well as a vocational education or diploma requirement.
The third and first way to apply is to give “opportunity cards” to people who have not yet found a job but have the potential to find a job. The opportunity card consists of a points-based system that takes into account qualifications, language skills, professional experience, affiliation with Germany and age.
