The accelerated skilled worker procedure

The accelerated skilled worker procedure can be carried out for skilled workers or potential trainees from third countries who are still abroad.

It does not apply to people who are already living in Germany.

The prerequisite is a concrete job offer or employment contract for qualified employment, qualified vocational training or an adaptation measure for professional recognition.

The position to be filled for skilled workers must require at least two years of vocational training or a university degree. If a foreign professional qualification is available, the equivalence of this qualification must be established before employment is taken up. This can also be done as part of the accelerated skilled worker procedure, which provides for special deadlines to speed up the procedure.

In the case of a training position, the vocational training must be in a state-recognized or comparably regulated training occupation with a training period of at least two years.

The accelerated skilled worker procedure can be explicitly applied for:

• Persons who have successfully completed vocational training in Germany or foreign vocational training that is equivalent to German qualified vocational training (skilled worker with vocational training in accordance with Section 18a of the Residence Act)
• Persons who have successfully completed a degree in Germany or a foreign university degree that is comparable to a German university degree (skilled worker with academic training in accordance with Section 18b AufenthG or EU Blue Card in accordance with Section 18g AufenthG)
• IT specialists or managers in the IT sector
• Skilled workers entering the country to complete a qualification measure for professional recognition (professional recognition in accordance with Section 16d of the Residence Act)
• Persons with a foreign professional qualification and practical professional experience (experienced professionals pursuant to Section 19c (2) Residence Act in conjunction with Section 6 Employment Ordinance)
• Researchers pursuant to Section 18d Residence Act as well as scientists and teachers pursuant to Section 19c (1) Residence Act in conjunction with Section 5 Employment Ordinance § 5 Employment Ordinance
• Senior employees, managers or specialists in accordance with Section 19c (1) Residence Act in conjunction with Section 3 Employment Ordinance
• Professional drivers in accordance with Section 19c (1) Residence Act in conjunction with Section 24a (1) Employment Ordinance; an existing EU/EEA driving license and the basic qualification are required.
• Trainees in company-based training or vocational school students in school-based vocational training (trainees according to § 16a Residence Act)

Further information on the individual requirements for the respective visa can be found in the Visa section.

As an employer, you first conclude an agreement on the procedure with the responsible immigration authority. You act on behalf of the person you wish to employ or train.

The immigration authority then checks whether all the requirements for the accelerated procedure have been met and, if so, starts the procedure. It will obtain the necessary approvals and inform you of all steps and decisions.

The foreigners authority also checks the legal residence requirements and issues a preliminary approval for the visa. This is stored in the Central Register of Foreigners and the German diplomatic mission abroad is automatically notified. You will receive a copy and forward it to your candidate abroad.

This advance approval can speed up the visa application process at the German diplomatic mission abroad. Once the visa has been issued, your candidate may enter Germany.

In the accelerated skilled worker procedure, shorter processing deadlines set by law apply for each step of the procedure. These only apply if all documents are complete and there is no doubt as to their authenticity. In this way, the procedure should be predictable and quick for employers and international skilled workers.

Recognition procedure (two or three months)

If professional recognition is required for the foreign qualification in the accelerated skilled worker procedure, the processing time can be two to three months. The skilled worker or employer applies for recognition at the competent recognition office.

Important: The deadlines in the recognition procedure are not the same for all professions. They depend on the respective legal regulations for the profession. The competent recognition body will provide information on the procedure, the required documents and the competent professional chamber or authority.

Procedure for the digital certificate assessment at the Central Office for Foreign Education(two months)

For the digital certificate evaluation, the specialist must create a BundID account themselves and submit the application to the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) digitally. All required documents must be uploaded and the fee paid.

Processing usually takes up to two months. The specialist can track the current status online in their user account at any time.

Important: A certificate evaluation is only necessary if the university degree is not already listed or evaluated in the Anabin database.

Procedure for digital information on professional qualifications at the Central Office for Foreign Education (two months)

For the Digital Information on Professional Qualifications (DAB), the specialist must create a BundID account themselves and submit the application digitally to the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB). They must upload all the required documents and pay the fee.

Processing usually takes up to two months. The specialist can view the current status at any time via the user account.

Important: The DAB is not a recognition of the professional qualification. It merely confirms that the qualification is recognized by the state in the country of training and that it covers at least two years of training.

Procedure for obtaining approval from the Federal Employment Agency (one week)

The Federal Employment Agency checks the approval of the planned employment or vocational training. As a rule, this takes one week if no further inquiries or additional documents are required. Once this period has expired, approval is automatically deemed to have been granted (fictitious approval).

Visa procedure at the German diplomatic mission abroad

After receiving preliminary approval, the skilled worker or potential trainee must make an appointment within three weeks to apply for a visa at the relevant German diplomatic mission abroad. He or she should submit a copy or scan of the preliminary approval.

If all documents are complete and the requirements are met, the diplomatic mission abroad will decide on the visa application within three weeks.

Once the Foreigners' Registration Office has given its preliminary approval, this is stored in the Central Register of Foreigners. The German diplomatic mission abroad will be informed automatically. As an employer, you will also receive a copy and forward it to your candidate abroad. This completes the procedure with the foreigners authority.

The skilled worker or potential trainee must now make an appointment with the German diplomatic mission abroad within three months. Thanks to the accelerated procedure, he or she will be given an appointment to apply for a visa within three weeks. If all the documents are complete, the visa application will also be processed within three weeks.

The visa is issued by the diplomatic mission abroad. It is valid for twelve months and allows you to enter the country and take up employment or training in Germany. The visa contains a reference to § 81a of the Residence Act.

With the visa, employment or training may generally begin immediately after entry, as the employment or training is noted in the visa. However, a residence permit must be applied for at the Foreigners' Registration Office within the period of validity of the visa.

Important: Please check the visa immediately after entering the country. If the reference to employment is missing, the employment or training relationship may not be taken up until the immigration authority has issued a corresponding permit. In this case, please contact the immigration authority as soon as possible.

If the employment relationship ends prematurely, you must inform the Foreigners' Registration Office within four weeks - for example in the event of termination or a termination agreement. Fixed-term contracts are also considered "prematurely terminated" if they do not run to the end as planned.

Spouses, registered same-sex partners and unmarried children who are minors can also come to Germany under the accelerated skilled worker procedure. The prerequisite is that the family members also enter Germany within six months of the skilled worker or trainee entering the country.

In order for the family members to be included in the procedure, you also need their powers of attorney as well as those of the children's legal guardians.

For family reunification, the legal residence requirements for family reunification for skilled workers must be met. There are no additional fees.