Travel
Germany to pass immigration reform law making it easier for foreign workers to move there
Germany is set to pass immigration law reforms this week to attract skilled non-EU workers.
Germany is set to pass a law that will make it easier for skilled workers from outside the EU to move to the country.
The German cabinet approved plans to attract skilled foreign workers and combat labor shortages last year, and unveiled draft legislation at the end of March this year.
On Monday (19 June), Germany’s coalition government said the law would be passed this week.
The plans to modernise the country’s immigration legislation are expected tomake it easier for third country nationals to work in Germany. It could increase the number of non-EU workers in Germany by 60,000 per year.
The reforms to the Skilled Immigration Act particularly focus on workers with vocational, non-academic training. Existing rules for qualified professionals with university degrees will also be relaxed.
Why is Germany changing its immigration policies?
Like many countries in Europe, Germany is facing a shortage of skilled workers.
In 2022, the country’s labour shortage rose to an all time high: the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) found 1.74 million vacant positions throughout Germany.
In July last year, staff shortages affected almost half of all companies surveyed by Munich-based research institute IFO, forcing them to slow down their operations.
It hopes to fill this gap with qualified professionals from outside the EU. But currently the country’s immigration process is slowed down by red tape.
During a press conference held at the Federal Office for Foreign Affairs (BfAA) on 17 January 2023, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said modernising the visa process would mean “turning it upside down”.
Together with Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, she emphasised removing bureaucracy and improving digitisation and efficiency of the system.
“We know that we can only guarantee our future, the efficiency of our economy and the efficiency of our social security systems if we have enough skilled workers at our disposal,” said Scholz.
“From within the European Union that’s not so difficult, because there is freedom of movement. With regard to the rest of the world, it is a greater challenge,” he added.
How does Germany plan to attract skilled foreign workers?
Germany is hoping to combat its shortage of skilled workers with a new ‘opportunity card’.
The ‘chancenkarte’ will use a points system to enable workers with 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 is 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.
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’ 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 mean time.
The exact details of the scheme are yet to be formalised. The chancenkarte is not expected to be available until at least the end of 2023.
What are the main changes to Germany’s immigration policies?
Firstly, the new system will make it easier for people with professional experience – rather than a university degree – to come and work in Germany.
Secondly, Germany will become more open to job experience and professional qualifications that are recognised in workers’ native countries. Currently, the country is strict about which qualifications it recognises.
Thirdly, it will be easier for those without a job offer to seek work in Germany via the opportunity card.
Qualified job seekers with degrees or vocational certificates will be allowed to stay in the country for one year as they search for employment. While looking for full time employment, they will be permitted to work up to 20 hours per week.
Rules will also be eased for those with a job offer and a recognised diploma. Salary thresholds will be lowered, it will be easier for workers to being their families to Germany, and it will be easier to gain permanent residency.
Which industries are worst hit by staff shortages in Germany?
Germany is specifically seeking skilled craftspeople, electrical engineers, IT specialists, carers, nurses, catering and hospitality professionals.
An IFO survey shows the service sector is the worst hit – especially the accommodation and event industries.
This is followed by warehousing and storage, service providers, and manufacturing – particularly in the food, data processing equipment, machinery and metal manufacturing sectors. Many retail businesses, construction companies and wholesalers have also reported staff shortages.
IT specialists with relevant job experience will receive EU Blue Cards even if they do not possess a university degree, according to German news channel DW.
Other in-demand occupations listed on the government website include physicians and scientists. A shortage of metallurgy workers and builders has previously been reported.
The pharmaceutical and chemical industries report the lowest shortage of skilled workers. The automotive and mechanical engineering industries are also suffering less than other sectors.
Author
The discount fares can be purchased this week, until 21 April, on journeys up until 12 May.
If you fancy seeing some of Britain’s top sights on the cheap, this is the month to book some leave.
Travel tech company FlixBus is celebrating its 3rd anniversary in the UK by offering £2 (€2.34) tickets for coach services across England, Scotland and Wales.
The discount fares can be purchased this week, until 21 April, on journeys up until 12 May.
This year, FlixBus added connections to the city of Inverness as part of its Scottish Network, which will be included in the deal.
The company says it aims to make coach travel “as sustainable and affordable as possible”.
It recently launched an electric, long-distance, zero-emission route between Newport, Bristol and London.
Here are five of the best journeys available on the £2 offer.
Escape to the Scottish Highlands
Visitors seeking bracing air and epic scenery can take a four-hour bus from Glasgow to Inverness, stopping on the way in Perth.
The city of Inverness is considered the gateway to the Scottish Highlands.
From here, you can strike out into the countryside and lose yourself in heather-carpeted glens and granite mountains.
Journey back in time to the historic city of York
This route takes travellers from the city of Manchester to the historic heart of York in northern England. The journey takes two hours and 40 minutes, stopping at Bradford and Leeds on the way.
York is one of the UK’s cultural hotspots, home to the UNESCO-designated York Minster, a Gothic behemoth from the 13th century with medieval stained glass windows.
If it’s a sunny day, take a walk around the city walls – a reminder of York’s Roman past.
Harry Potter fans should leave time to stroll down the Shambles, a street of charmingly crooked half-timbered houses that bely its macabre past as a slaughterhouse.
Visit the vibrant city of Manchester
This route travels between the city of Birmingham and the city of Manchester passing through Stoke On Trent and stopping at Manchester Airport.
The two-hour and 45-minute trip gives travellers access to one of the UK’s trending tourist destinations.
Once the hub of the Industrial Revolution, Manchester is now home to a buzzing music scene, warehouses transformed into popups and co-working spaces and the unmissable Gay Village along Canal Street.
Chill out in the Cairngorms National Park
A three-hour bus from Glasgow takes travellers through the attractive Scottish towns of Perth and Pitlochry to Aviemore in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park.
Nature lovers will find ancient forests, secluded lochs and a funicular whisking you up to sublime valley views.
Author
This Italian lakeside city wants to impose a daily visitor fee.
Lake Como is glitzy, glamorous and engulfed by tourism.
The third largest lake in Italy, it sees as many as 1.4 million visitors a year descend on its shores.
The tourist numbers are proving overwhelming for the holiday hotspot in northern Italy, and one city is now considering introducing a tourist tax.
Mayor of the lakeside city of Como Alessandro Rapinese says he is mulling a Venice-style daily charge with suggestions that it could come into force soon.
Lake Como to introduce a daytripper fee
Rapinese has lambasted Lake Como’s overtourism saying it is “difficult to be mayor when you are fighting tourism”.
“We are already discussing the idea[ofa[ofatourist tax]. Revolutions begin with concrete measures and we are ready for this long journey,” he told UK newspaper The Times.
The fee would apply to daily visitors to the city of Como.
The mayor has not shared any further details about how much the fee will be, who will have to pay and when it will come into force.
If he uses the Venice model, the charge will apply to daytrippers (not those who have booked overnight accommodation in the city) and may be levied only on busy days like weekends and public holidays.
Lake Como battles overtourism
The chic lake has been struggling with soaring tourist numbers in recent years.
Crowds have boomed since several celebrities including George Clooney purchased multi-million euro properties along the shoreline and the lake provided a backdrop for films including Casino Royale and House of Gucci.
“I visited Lake Como last year and said I would never go back. Standards had dropped. Restaurants were disappointing in quality and price. Too many people to enjoy anything about the resort,” one visitor wrote on X.
Last summer, one lakeside villa which appeared in James Bond and Star Wars films was forced to limit visitor numbers.
Villa del Balbianello cut daily entries from 2,000 to a maximum of 1,200 to protect the historic house.
The Italian Fund for the Environment (FAI), which runs the property, called it “a drastic decision” but essential to counter the effect of “an excess of tourism that has an ever greater impact on Lake Como”.
Author
Applicants are accepted from most EU countries as well as the UK, USA and Canada.
Türkiye has become the latest country to launch a digital nomad visa for foreign remote workers.
The Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry has created a dedicated website where those interested can complete the first application stages.
The country hopes to lure digital nomads to destinations including Istanbul, Dalaman on the southwestern coast and Izmir on the west.
“Thousand years old ancient cities, unique bays hidden between forests, turquoise seas, dynamic people, big cities; Türkiye has all,” the visa promotion reads.
“In addition, this beautiful country is one of the biggest countries of the world in terms of economy and business, with strong infrastructure services.”
Who is eligible for Türkiye’s digital nomad visa?
Those interested in Türkiye’s digital nomad visa need to be aged between 21 and 55. Applicants are accepted from most EU countries as well as the UK, USA and Canada.
Additional prerequisites include holding a university degree, having an employment or business contract and being able to prove a monthly income of $3,000 (€2,800) or an annual one of $36,000 (€33,800).
Applicants can register and upload their documents – including a passport with six-month validity and a photo – on the dedicated Digital Nomad GoTürkiye website.
If the application is accepted, you will be issued a Digital Nomad Identification Certificate which you can then take to a Turkish visa centre or consulate in your place of residence.
The best locations for digital nomads in Türkiye
The digital nomad website also promotes destinations around the country as prime spots for remote workers.
Istanbul is “a business centre with large companies and small start-ups, a metropole of 20 million inhabitants, a meeting point of different cultures [and] a historical centre where the paths of millennia-old civilisations converge.”
Digital nomads will find a strong transportation infrastructure with several metro and bus lines, and ferry journeys between its European and Asian sides, according to the website. It also says it is easy to find fully furnished apartments to rent.
Dalaman, on the Aegean coast, “offers great transportation options, an easy escape from the crowds, an impressive variety of free-time activities, and a strong infrastructure for those who want to work from this paradise on Earth.”
Izmir, also on the Aegean Sea, is ideal for those seeking year-round warmth and Blue Flag beaches.
Author
Katy Perry Wants This Country Music Artist to Replace Her on ‘American Idol’
Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ Shooting Case: What to Know About the Charges, Possible Prison Time & More
Brian Austin Green Reveals His & Megan Fox’s ‘Number One’ Rule for Co-Parenting
-
EU & the World7 days agoMorgan Wallen’s Ex KT Smith Responds to Rumor That His Arrest Is Related to Her Marriage Announcement
-
EU & the World7 days ago‘Joker: Folie a Deux’ New Trailer Unveiled: Everything We Know About the New Movie
-
EU & the World7 days agoWho Is Aoki Lee Simmons? 5 Things About the Model Who Split From Vittorio Assaf
-
EU & the World6 days agoBlake Lively Gushes About ‘Dreamy’ Husband Ryan Reynolds Ahead of His New Movie ‘If’
-
EU & the World6 days agoJax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright Get Candid About Their Sex Life Before Breakup
-
Sports6 days agoElia Caprile, agent dribbles on future
-
Sports5 days agoPrimoz Roglic skips Fleche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège
-
EU & the World7 days agoJelly Roll Reveals the Reason Why He Turned Down Taking a Photo With Diddy Last Year