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Building on the Skilled Immigration Act that took effect on 1 March 2020, the Act on the Further Development of Skilled Immigration has now expanded the opportunities for skilled workers from non-EU states to come to Germany in order to take up employment, in many cases also simplifying visa applications.

The new law has several parts. Its provisions entered into force gradually and were fully in force by 1 June 2024. Here is an overview of the individual changes: www.make-it-in-germany.com

For an explainer on the Skilled Immigration Law, please have a look at this short video.

Before applying for a visa under the new rules, interested candidates need to obtain official recognition of their professional qualification from the competent German authorities. Information about the procedures can be found on https://www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de/html/en/. Interested professionals should start these procedures early.

You may be eligible for a work-and-residence permit (visa) for skilled workers:

• if your foreign degree or certificate has been officially recognized and
• if you have already been offered a specific job offer – you must ask your future employer to fill out the “Declaration regarding a contract of employment” (Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis);
• if you meet the required language skills

You should only submit your visa application if you meet all the requirements and are able to produce complete documents. We can accept your visa application only AFTER your foreign qualification has officially been recognized.

Most applications can be filed online through the Consular Services Portal. Find the link here: Consular Services Portal.

Information about the fast-track procedure for skilled workers

If you have already found an employer, you can authorize this employer to submit a fast-track application for you as a skilled worker at the local Immigration Office (Ausländerbehörde) in Germany, i.e. at your future place of work. The foreigners’ authority will advise your employer and be of assistance in filing an application for recognition of your foreign degree or certificate. The authority is also responsible for obtaining the necessary approval from the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit). The authorities and the Federal Employment Agency must make decisions on recognition and approval within certain deadlines. The fee for this procedure is 411 Euros, to be paid by the future employer in Germany. In addition, there are fees for recognition of your degree or certificate. When all prerequisites that can be examined in Germany have been met, the foreigners’ authority will issue what is called advanced approval (Vorabzustimmung), which your employer will then send to you. As soon as you have received advanced approval, you can make a visa application appointment. At the appointment, you must present the original letter of advanced approval together with other documents. As a rule, the mission abroad will take a decision on your visa application within the following three weeks.