Germany says it plans to attract skilled foreign workers

Continuing from previous weeks, Germany says it is hoping to combat its shortage of skilled workers with a new ‘opportunity card’. 

The ‘chancenkarte’ should use a points-based system should enable workers with the required skills to come to Germany more easily.

It is part of a strategy proposed by Labour Minister Hubertus Heil to address the country’s labour shortages and it is supposed to be aimed at people who do not yet have a work contract in Germany.

The points-based system will take into account qualifications, professional experience, age, German language skills, and ties to Germany such as family members in the country.

It is said that every year, quotas will be set depending on which industries need workers. Three out of four of the following criteria must also be met to apply for the scheme:

A degree or vocational training 

Three years of professional experience

Language skills or a previous stay in Germany

35 years old or younger

Currently, most non-EU citizens need to have a job offer before they can relocate to Germany. A visa for job seekers already exists, but the "chancenkarte" is expected to make it easier and faster for people looking to find work in Germany.

Citizens of certain countries with visa agreements can already enter Germany for 90 days visa-free but are only permitted to take up short-term employment.

The opportunity card will allow people to come and look for a job or apprenticeship while in the country rather than applying from abroad. Applicants must be able to prove they can afford to pay their living expenses in the meantime.

The exact details of the scheme are yet to be formalised. The chancenkarte was not expected to be available until at least the end of this year 2023.

But just as we are getting ourselves familiarised with the happy news, new legislation is being passed to take a second look at what Germany actually needs. Nonetheless, we shall take this to the end and then share with you, the reviewed legislation.