To address the urgent need for skilled workers, the updated Skilled Immigration Act creates new employment opportunities for skilled workers in Germany. From 1 June 2024, additional legislation will come into force, in particular concerning the opportunity card. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faser said: "When it comes to attracting motivated and talented people to Germany, we assess their language skills, qualifications and experience. These criteria count towards the opportunity card. This will make it quicker and easier for people with experience and potential to find a suitable job and get started."

Requirements for the opportunity card

The opportunity card is a new type of residence permit for those coming to Germany to look for work. The card can be obtained in two ways: 

1. You are already a skilled worker as defined in Germany’s Residence Act. This means you hold either a German university degree or vocational qualification or a recognised/comparable foreign equivalent. In this case, there are no additional requirements to be met in order to obtain an opportunity card.
2. If you are not a skilled worker, an opportunity card may be obtained under the following conditions:

• You hold a foreign vocational qualification or a foreign university degree. These do not have to be officially recognised in Germany, but in the issuing country.
• You can demonstrate basic (level A1) German or good (level B2) English language skills.

If you meet these criteria, there are various ways to collect points. Different numbers of points are awarded, for example for:

• a notice of recognition (or partial recognition) issued by a German certification authority
• German and/or English language skills
• work experience related to the vocational qualification or university degree in question
• a vocational qualification / university degree in an occupation that is subject to labour shortage
• fulfilling certain age criteria at the time of applying for an opportunity card
• previous legal residence in Germany
• your partner also fulfilling the requirements and applying for the opportunity card.

Currently, a minimum of six points are needed in order to obtain an opportunity card. This is only possible by combining different criteria.

While looking for work, secondary employment and probationary employment are permissible. The opportunity card is usually issued for one year. In cases where the job search leads to qualified employment but not all criteria for a work permit are met, the opportunity card may be extended for up to two years subject to approval by the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit).

Quota under the Western Balkans regulation will be doubled

Another element which will come into effect from 1 June is the expansion of the Western Balkans regulation. The Western Balkans regulation, which is used frequently, provides access to the labour market for nationals of the Western Balkan countries Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. This regulation provides one of the most important legal routes on the European continent for third-country nationals to enter the German labour market. For this reason, the quota is to be doubled: from 25,000 to 50,000 approvals by the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit). The entry into force of these elements completes the implementation of all stages of the new Skilled Immigration Act.