Germany - Irish Universal

Migrate to Germany

There are two categories of skilled workers, those with professional training and those with academic training. Degrees earned abroad must be officially recognized in Germany. Skilled workers with professional training must have completed an officially recognized professional training programme, which according to German law must be at least two years in length. Skilled workers with academic training must have earned a degree from an institute of higher education. Skilled workers may take up a position only if it is considered qualified employment.

If you qualify as a skilled worker, you can apply for an EU Blue Card if you meet the following requirements:

You have been offered a specific position, for a duration of at least one year, the position matches your professional qualifications, and your gross annual salary will be at least 56,400 euros.

In these cases, approval by the Federal Employment Agency is not required.

For certain professions* (doctors, skilled workers in the fields of engineering, the natural sciences, mathematics and IT), a gross annual salary of 43,992 euros is sufficient, provided that the Federal Employment Agency has given its approval.

If you do not meet the EU Blue Card requirements, you can still be issued a residence title that includes the right to be employed as a skilled worker in your area of qualification. For this, you must be able to work in this occupation on the basis of your qualification. Assistant positions and semi-skilled occupations do not qualify; it must be a skilled position. The Federal Employment Agency that will examine whether your foreign degree or certificate matches the occupation that you wish to take up.

Can I bring my family?

The skilled worker’s spouse and his/her minor children (i.e. the so-called nuclear family) may apply for visas for the purpose of joining their family member. These applications may already be submitted at the time that the skilled worker requests his or her visa. To obtain approval, it is important that the entire family’s living costs can be met, and that it can be provided sufficient housing, without any support from the German state. In principle, the spouse is expected to acquire a certain command of German prior to entering Germany. Along with the submission of a visa application, he/she should be able to provide a German language certificate of the lowest level (A1). There are exceptions to this requirement – for example, when the skilled worker meets the EU Blue Card requirements. Applications for members of the nuclear family may also be submitted at a later point in time. In this case, too, the following must be presented: the skilled worker’s contract of employment, proof that living costs can be met, proof of sufficient housing, and a language certificate. If children of the skilled worker who have attained the age of 16 intend to join their parents at a later time, then they themselves must acquire a command of German beforehand.

Entering Germany without a job offer

You may apply for a visa that will permit you to look for employment in your area of qualification that will be valid for up to six months, provided that your foreign degree or certificate has been recognized.

If you wish to work in a so-called regulated profession (e.g. in health care), you must have either obtained, or have been assured that you will be given, written permission to exercise your profession. Skilled workers with professional training must present proof that they have a command of German at the level needed for their desired occupation (generally level B1).

With this visa, you may work in your professional field on a trial basis for up to ten hours per week.

Which all professions we support?