Germany's new Immigration Law: Focusing on blue-collar workers (“Ausbildungsberufe”)
You might have heard about it: Germany is facing a significant shortage of labor and is struggling with a shrinking workforce. Consequently, Germany has introduced a new law aimed at streamlining the immigration process, making it easier for German employers to hire non-EU citizens.
While immigration regulations can be quite complex and subject to frequent changes, in this article we want to focus specifically on jobs that are not regulated (regulated professions are e.g. lawyer, doctor or nurse) and that typically do not require a university degree in Germany. These are professions such as electrician, mechanic or truck driver, in general involving a three-year apprenticeship, known as Ausbildung in Germany.
We will highlight the most notable changes being implemented since 2023 for these groups.
The recognition procedure
Previously, hiring a foreign worker in Germany from abroad required two main steps:
Applying for a recognition of the foreign worker's degree
Applying for a visa to enter Germany and start the job
The second step, obtaining the visa, is generally manageable, typically taking between 2 to 4 months on average. However, this timeframe can vary depending on the applicant's country of origin and the destination city within Germany.
The first step, the application for recognition of the foreign worker's degree posed a significant challenge, often resulting in lengthy delays spanning several years. This bottleneck significantly hindered the overall process, because employers don’t like to wait for too long until a new hire can start.
The recognition partnership ("Anerkennungs-Partnerschaft”)
One major change of the new law was the implementation of a so-called recognition partnership. With the recognition partnership, individuals from non-EU countries can enter Germany without prior recognition and complete the recognition process entirely in Germany. That is a big milestone in shortening overall time until a new hire can start their job in Germany. As a result, foreign workers now only need to complete the application for a German work visa, which when done right, can be done in a reasonable time-frame. However, not all individuals are allowed to move to Germany under the recognition partnership framework.
Here’s the criteria for a recognition partnership:
Requirements:
You need to have completed at least a two-year vocational training and the qualification must be officially recognized in the country where you obtained it
You need to have a German work contract
You need to have German language skills of at least at level A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
Where to obtain the recognition of your degree:
To confirm if your degree is recognized by the issuing country, you must reach out to the IHK in Germany. The responsible IHK is where your future employer is located. In the future you might be able to request it at the ZAB as they are currently working on a unified process.
How it works:
Before entering, the prospective skilled worker and their employer make an agreement. In it, the skilled worker commits to applying for recognition immediately after entry.
The employer commits in the agreement to support the skilled worker in recognition and to provide them with the qualification necessary for recognition.
The goal of the recognition partnership is to achieve full recognition after a maximum of three years of residence in Germany. If the profession is regulated, certain activities are not allowed or only under supervision.
Do you have any additional questions? Reach out to hello@jetztpat.com and see how we can help.
Carina is a co-founder of Jetztpat and has supported many foreigners when relocating to Germany. She is currently located in Stuttgart and loves travelling to distant places. While she has tried crazy food from all over the world, she has stayed deeply committed to “Spätzle mit Soße” and is always missing it, when she's abroad.