The German parliament has reformed its immigration law to attract skilled workers from foreign countries outside the European Union (EU) and for many refugees who are already in the country.
DW reports that the Bundestag on Friday passed the new immigration law reform designed to encourage more people from outside the EU to come to Germany for work.
The report quoted the Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) as saying that “This draft law secures prosperity in Germany,” as she presented the government’s plan in the chamber.
She added that it would only work if the bureaucratic hurdles were dismantled during its implementation.
She said that “It’s unacceptable that you have to fill in 17 different applications to bring a new care worker into the country.”
It was reported that the biggest opposition party, the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) alliance welcomed some of the government’s ideas, though they criticized plans to lower the qualification hurdles for foreign workers. According to Andrea Lindholz of the C
SU, plans to lower the level of German language skills necessary would only encourage low-skilled workers.
Lindholz argued that the new law would do nothing to address what she called the main problem: Bureaucratic bottlenecks such as over-long procedures at foreign consulates.
She also said that the plans to open opportunities for asylum seekers who were already in the county ran the risk of “turning the asylum process into a kind of state-financed job-seeking opportunity in Germany.”
According to reports, a major new innovation under the law is a new “opportunity card” and its associated points system, which allows foreigners who don’t yet have a job lined up to come to Germany for a year to find employment.
A prerequisite for receiving a card will be a vocational qualification or university degree.
The cards will be awarded to those who fulfill a certain number of conditions, for which they will be awarded points: These could be German and/or English language skills, existing ties to Germany, and the potential of accompanying life partners or spouses on the German labor market.
The opportunity card will also permit casual work for up to 20 hours a week while looking for a qualified job, as well as probationary employment.
Also in the new law, those who are awaiting asylum approval and got their application in by March 29, 2023, have the appropriate qualifications, and a job offer and will also be permitted to join the labor market. This would also allow them to enter vocational training.
A similar change holds for those here on a tourist visa. They will not be required to first leave the country, before returning in an employment context.
A major obstacle to immigration has long been the requirement to have degrees recognised in Germany.
In the future, skilled immigrants will no longer have to have their degrees recognized in Germany if they can show they have at least two years of professional experience and a degree that is state-recognized in their country of origin.
Someone who already has a job offer can already come to Germany and start working while their degree is still being recognised.
Sahara Reporters
