Germany to make labour market attractive for foreigners

Germany will make its labour market more attractive for specialists from abroad, especially from non-EU countries, under a new law that would expedite the process of recognition of foreign educational qualifications.

The new law came into effect on Sunday.

Recognition of educational qualifications acquired abroad will send a strong message to foreign specialists and skilled workers that 'you are highly valued, appreciated and respected in this country,' Federal Minister for Education Annette Schavan said.

It is part of an unprecedented opening up of the German labour market for non-EU citizens to cope with a growing shortage of engineers, IT and communication specialists, doctors and other professionals across the country.

The new law gives foreigners, for the first time, the right to get their degrees or diplomas recognised within three months.

The main beneficiaries of the new law will be about 3,00,000 migrants, who have been forced to take up low-paid jobs.

This is because their academic or vocational educational qualifications were not recognised by German authorities even if they had many years' professional experience in their home countries.

The law to recognise educational qualifications acquired abroad 'ends our practice of treating people as petitioners,' Schavan said.

Germany finds itself in a strong competition in European and other countries for highly qualified specialists and "we have to make sure that they will not go around our country," she said in a newspaper interview.

It can also help overcome the bureaucratic hurdles job-seekers from abroad often face to take up an employment in this country, she said.

Meanwhile, the German government is reported to be planning to introduce a new visa, which will allow non-EU citizens to stay

for six months in this country in search for a job.

A completed university education and self-support during the stay in Germany are two main conditions to obtain such a visa, media reports said.

In December, the centre-right coalition government passed a legislation to open the German labour market for specialists from non-EU countries by reducing the minimum annual salary threshold to obtain a residence permit from Euro 66,000 to Euro 48,000.

Until now, this was the main hurdle for foreigners, especially from non-EU countries, for taking up employment in this country.

For professional groups, where there is a severe shortage, the annual salary requirement has been further reduced to Euro 33,000.

They include engineers, specialists in the IT and communication technologies and medical professionals.

Job-seekers in both groups will get a permanent residence permit after completing three years provided they still possessed a work contract, according to the draft legislation.

Those who can prove good knowledge of German language will be entitled to get a permanent residence permit even after two years.

Their spouses too will get a residence permit, which will allow them to work in this country.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right coalition members have proposed some changes to the draft legislation, which had its first reading in the Bundestag, lower house of parliament a few weeks ago.

Labour market experts said even though the law on recognising foreign educational qualifications opens up new job perspectives for migrants, who have been staying in this country for several years, many of them will have to undergo additional training or to attend universities before their qualifications acquired abroad can be recognised.

Details about who will finance the costs of such supplementary courses are yet to be worked out, they said.