Residence permit for employment

The legislator has decided on numerous simplifications for the immigration of skilled workers.

Please check first whether you are eligible for an EU Blue Card.
If you do not reach the required income threshold or do not meet the qualification requirements, you have the following options for obtaining a residence permit for employment:

Residence permit as a skilled worker (with recognized vocational training), § 18a and 18b AufenthG

You are considered a specialist if you

• • have at least 2 years of vocational training or a degree,
  • the vocational training or course of study is recognized as equivalent,

You can find out whether a foreign university degree is recognized as equivalent on the information portal of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany(ANABIN database). If you cannot find your degree there, you can apply for an assessment by the Central Office for Foreign Education.

If you have a non-academic professional qualification, you can research the recognition body at www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de.

As a skilled worker (with a recognized qualification), you can obtain a residence permit for employment if you

• • submit an offer for a job that requires a professional qualification (no auxiliary work)
  • the Federal Employment Agency has confirmed that the salary for the specific position is customary for the location or in accordance with the collective agreement.

If you are abroad, your employer can obtain approval from the Federal Employment Agency before you apply for a visa in order to speed up the process or use the “accelerated skilled worker procedure”.

Residence permit for employment without prior recognition of your qualification

Have you completed at least two years of vocational training abroad and your training is recognized by the country in which you trained?

You must first have this confirmed by the Central Office for Foreign Education .

You can then obtain a residence permit for “persons with practical work experience” (Sec. 19c AufentG, Sec. 6 BeschV) to work in your profession if you

• • have two years of experience in your profession and
  • receive a gross annual salary of € 40,770 or the employer is bound by a collective agreement.

If you do not yet have any professional experience, you can obtain a residence permit to carry out a recognition procedure (Sec. 16d AufenthG) if

• • a German employer undertakes to pursue a recognition procedure after entry (“recognition partnership”) and
  • you have German language skills at A2 level.

If you have not yet found an employer, you can obtain a job search opportunity card (§ 20a AufenthG). For this you will need

• • a professional qualification recognized abroad
  • a confirmation from the Central Office for Foreign Education
  • German language skills at A1 level or English language skills at B2 level
  • 6 points awarded for your qualifications, language skills, professional experience, age and previous experience.

Skilled workers with university degrees recognized in Germany can immediately receive the Chancenkarte.

You can carry out a self-check here to see whether you meet the requirements for the opportunity card.

Residence permit for employment for certain nationals regardless of qualifications

As a citizen of Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Monaco, New Zealand, San Marino, Great Britain and the USA, you can be granted a residence permit for employment even if you cannot provide proof of a recognized professional qualification (Section 26 (1) of the Employment Ordinance). The prerequisite is that there are no domestic applicants available(priority check) and that the working conditions are in line with normal practice. As a national of one of the countries mentioned, you can also submit an application during a visiting stay.

As a national of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, you may be issued a visa to pursue gainful employment in (Section 26 (2) Employment Ordinance) if you

• • submit a concrete job offer,
  • submit the application to the diplomatic mission or consular post in your home country,
  • no domestic applicants are available(priority check),
  • have not received any benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act in the last 2 years.

Residence permit for vocational training

You may be granted a residence permit for in-company vocational training, § 16a AufenthG. You need a good knowledge of German to be able to follow the lessons at the vocational school. The training allowance must be appropriate and secure your livelihood.

The embassy also has discretionary powers. It may take into account whether you can complete the training more successfully. For example, your age and language skills may be taken into account.

Our specialist lawyer for migration law Sven Hasse will advise and represent you in this area.