On Friday, June 23, the German parliament approved legislation that will provide several refugees currently present in the nation with new employment chances as well as job searchers from outside the EU.
According to DW, the goal of the new immigration law reform is to attract more non-EU citizens to seek employment in Germany.
The new law would ensure Germany’s prosperity, according to center-left Social Democrats (SPD) Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, but it would only be effective if administrative roadblocks were removed throughout its implementation.
She said;
“This draft law secures prosperity in Germany. It’s unacceptable that you have to fill in 17 different applications to bring a new care worker into the country.”
Some of Germany’s opposition party welcomed some of the government’s ideas, though they criticized plans to lower the qualification hurdles for foreign workers.
While some opposition parties claimed that plans to lower the level of German language skills necessary would only encourage low-skilled workers, others argued that it would turn Germany into a “junk country”.
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.
A similar change holds for those on tourist visa. They will not be required to first leave the country before returning in an employment context.
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 recognized.
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