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The new German Immigration Act,
which came into force on 1 January 2005, provides for highly
qualified persons to be granted permanent residence and
permission to work from the outset, rather than five-year work
permits as was previously the case. They must have a concrete
job offer and get permission from the German Employment Agency.
The new law also makes an attempt to reduce bureaucracy.
Would-be immigrants will now report to one central place, most
likely the German embassy in their home country, to receive work
and residency permission.
Family members who enter Germany with highly
skilled workers who have obtained a visa, or family members who
join them later in Germany, can obtain the right to work in
Germany as well, which should also make it easier for families
to decide to move to Germany.
Another entirely new development in
Germany will be regarded positively by foreign students. Foreign
graduates of German universities will have a year to look for a
job if they wish to stay in the country. Previously it was quite
difficult for foreign students to remain in Germany upon
completion of their studies.
Self-employed immigrants will also feel
more welcomed under the new law, provided they invest one
million euro and create ten new German jobs.
It should also be noted that Germany is
a member of the Schengen Agreement. With a Schengen Visa, you
can entry one Schengen country and travel to other Schengen visa
countries freely.
The new Immigration Act has replaced the
former German Green Card Initiative, which made it easier for
foreign IT specialists to work in Germany. It
is generally agreed that the Green Card was unsuccessful, in
that it did not succeed in bringing about the additional IT
workers as was expected. This new provision of the Immigration
Act is not limited to IT specialists. |
