The government of Germany is preparing to pass a law this week that will make it easier for skilled workers from non-EU/EEA/Swiss countries to immigrate into Germany for work purposes.
According to lawmakers from the ruling coalition parties, the German government came to the agreement to pass the law this week on Monday.
Commenting on the development at a news conference, Katja Mast of the Social Democratic Party said that the immigration law is long overdue, and that it will modernize the immigration policies of Germany.
The German government hopes to tackle the current labor shortages in Germany with this law. Based on the draft legislation that was shared by the German government earlier in March of this year, the law could increase the number of workers from third countries by 60,000 a year.
The German authorities had said that all those who could contribute to the country’s economy would be permitted entry under facilitated rules.
“If people bring professional experience or personal potential with them, we will make it possible for them to gain a foothold in our labor market,” Minister of Interior of Germany, Nancy Faeser, said in March.
The draft legislation offers foreign workers three pathways to enter Germany. The first one requires foreign workers to present a professional or university degree that is recognized in Germany as well as an employment contract.
The second requires a minimum period of two years of experience working in a relevant sector and also a degree or vocational training.
The third is a new “opportunity card” for foreign workers who have not yet received a job offer in Germany but have the potential to find work.
In addition to the skilled workers law, back in March of this year, the German cabinet also decided to extend its regulations for job-seekers from Western Balkan countries of Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia, and Serbia.
Under the new regulations, German employers will be able to recruit up to 50,000 workers every year from the above mentioned Balkan countries.
Just recently, the Federal Labour Agency of Germany said that the country is currently dealing with a labor shortage crisis affecting one-sixth of the professions.
The report by the Agency showed that out of over 1,200 occupations that were surveyed, 200 of them struggled with labor shortages last year.
