Germany passes a law to facilitate labor migration

The lower house of the German parliament (Bundestag) on ​​Friday approved a law to facilitate immigration qualified work outside the European Union (EU), with which the Government intends to deal with the urgent shortage of workers in some sectors.

The bill’s promoter, Interior Secretary Nancy Faeser, called for a yes vote “the most modern immigration legislation in the world” and reminded that at the end of 2022, a record of almost two million unfilled jobs was recorded in Germany.

“Lack of skilled labor is one of the biggest obstacles to economic growth,” he warned.

The bill, which was part of the coalition agreement between the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Liberals, was voted for by 388 MPs, 234 voted against, and 31 abstained.

“Germany has long been a country of immigration and must remain so. To guarantee our well-being, we are committed to skilled immigration,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on his Twitter account after the vote.

The goal of the law is to eliminate bureaucratic obstacles and simplify the allocation work permits for foreigners from outside the EU with higher education to make Germany a more attractive destination for this type of migration, which is often deterred by language difficulties and administrative barriers.

This will reduce the requirements for obtaining a “blue EU card”, for which anyone who finds a paid job in Germany with at least 43,800 euros per year will be able to apply.

Those who acquire it will also have more benefits whenchange employer and sector, get a residence permit for your family -not only children and spouses, but also parents, from now on- and apply for a permanent residence permit in the EU.

It is also new that those who have at least two years of work experience will be able to work in Germany even if they have not yet completed the diploma approval process, provided that the employer undertakes not to interfere with further qualifications, if necessary. needed.

Likewise, the conditions for continuing higher studies in Germany will be simplified, as those who have a study visa will in future be able to work a certain number of hours at the same time to cover their costs.

Among the jobs with the highest number of vacancies in Germany are all medical and health sector, information technology, as well as technical occupations such as car mechanics or assembly and repair of technical devices.