BERLIN, Germany – A trailblazing move by Germany’s parliament on Friday, June 23, 2023, heralded a new era in the country’s approach to immigration, aimed at welcoming a wave of skilled labourers from outside the European Union, including Nigeria, to meet the country’s growing labour shortage.
The law, according to Nancy Faeser, Interior Minister of the Social Democrats, SPD, is a cornerstone in securing the nation’s prosperity.
“It would only work if the bureaucratic hurdles were dismantled during its implementation,” Faeser said.
Like many of its European counterparts, Germany is grappling with a severe shortage of skilled workers.
According to the Institute for Employment Research, IAB, 2022 saw an unprecedented labor shortage with 1.74 million vacant positions throughout the country.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, echoing Faeser, stressed the importance of streamlining bureaucracy and advancing digital processes to make the immigration system more efficient.
“We know that we can only guarantee our future, the efficiency of our economy, and the efficiency of our social security systems if we have enough skilled workers at our disposal,” Scholz said.
The new law promises a sea change, particularly for workers with vocational, non-academic training, as it modernizes existing immigration legislation.
The reformed Skilled Immigration Act could increase the number of non-EU workers in Germany by up to 60,000 per year.
A crucial component of this new approach is the ‘opportunity card’ or ‘chancenkarte,’ which uses a points-based system to expedite the immigration process for workers meeting specific criteria.
These criteria include qualifications, professional experience, age, German language skills, and ties to Germany.
“From within the European Union, that’s not so difficult, because there is freedom of movement. With regard to the rest of the world, it is a greater challenge,” Scholz added.
Under this novel system, the hurdles for non-EU citizens to relocate to Germany are significantly lowered. Previously, most individuals needed a job offer in hand to relocate.
Now, the ‘chancenkarte’ will enable people to seek work or apprenticeship in Germany more easily, as long as they can demonstrate their ability to support themselves.
Although the fine details of the scheme are yet to be formalized, the ‘chancenkarte’ is slated for introduction by the end of 2023.
Meanwhile, the system will become more open to recognizing job experience and professional qualifications obtained in workers’ home countries, a marked shift from the country’s previous strict recognition policy.
The new law not only offers potential immigrants a more accessible pathway to employment but also more flexibility in their journey to permanent residency, bringing their families to Germany, and exploring the wide range of job opportunities in crafts, engineering, IT, healthcare, and hospitality.
