Project: Development of skilled migration and effects of the fast-track procedure for skilled workers , Date: 2023.07.19, format: project (finished), area: Authority , Accompanying research on the Skilled Immigration Act

The Skilled Immigration Act (Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz – FEG) came into force on 1 March 2020. The Act, firstly, further developed the previous regulations on labour migration and transferred them into a new system. Secondly, new provisions were added which are intended to help attract more skilled workers from third countries to the German labour market and, in particular, to boost the immigration of non-academic skilled workers. One important measure here is the "fast-track procedure". Other new provisions relate to stays for vocational training, for the search for a training position, and for job-seeking for skilled workers with vocational training.

The aim of the accompanying project was to present developments in the immigration of skilled workers taking place after the Act came into force, using existing and newly-acquired quantitative and qualitative data, and to examine the newly-introduced procedures in greater depth with regard to their practical impact.

This was based on data from the Central Register of Foreigners, on data from the Visa Statistics of the Federal Foreign Office, as well as on other data collected during the project. In order to obtain qualitative data, semi-structured interviews were conducted in selected foreigners authorities, or in the central agencies responsible for the accelerated procedure in the federal states. In addition, interviews in selected German missions abroad in some of the main countries of origin of labour migrants should provide a further perspective to the project. This enabled insights to be gained that can help optimise the administrative procedures, and thus contribute to the successful implementation of the Immigration Act for Skilled Workers in practice.

The results of the research project are available in the research report "Development of skilled migration and effects of the fast-track procedure for skilled workers" (only in German).

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about this project.