language

Most professions here in Germany require a certain level of language skills. Be it for external or internal communication. That is the reason why many employers insist on the B2 certificate.  

Foreign applicants usually register at one of the numerous language training centers in their country of origin and complete the courses starting at level A1.1. The courses are often led by German students from Germany. When they reach language level B1, most applicants begin to prepare for the exam at selected institutes.  

Alongside the ÖSD, the GOETHE Institute is probably the best-known telc-certified examination center. Applicants have the opportunity to obtain language certificates from these institutions based on the common European framework of reference. It is checked in four areas:

• Reading comprehension

• listening comprehension

• To write

• To speak

The topics are diverse and often deal with everyday social and professional matters.  

If you urgently need skilled workers, we recommend hiring an applicant with language level B1 who will then lead further language courses at the VHS in your area. The language courses at the adult education centers are funded with € 500 and are designed in such a way that professionals can take part in the courses. From the applicants' point of view, this is an immensely large amount of accommodation on their part, as many are limited for financial and time reasons to quickly reach language level B2.  

Often employers tell us about negative experiences with language. Other employers, on the other hand, were very positively surprised and got along better with applicants who only had a B1 certificate than other employers with applicants who had a B2 certificate. The differences result from the affinity for language, personality and willingness to learn. True to the motto “Learning by Doing”, GermanWay also offers communication courses parallel to the language course. In this way, pronunciation is trained and applicants learn on several levels, so that greater progress is made.  

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Covid-19

The corona virus has an impact on the placement process and the entry requirements of certain professional groups from abroad. If you press the button, a document from the Federal Association of German Employers' Associations opens, in which detailed information about the pandemic in relation to the recruitment of foreign skilled workers is described. Please note that we are not responsible for the correctness or the topicality of the report and that you would like to ask to check the information again in this regard.

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Skilled Workers Immigration Act (FEG)

The FEG came into force at the beginning of March 2020. With this law, the barriers to entry of foreign skilled workers into the labor market were lowered. By eliminating the priority test, which is used to give preference to domestic applicants compared to foreign applicants for German companies, a speedy procedure is ultimately possible. Since then, there has been the option of enabling skilled workers outside of the bottleneck occupations such as nursing, IT, engineers, etc. to enter the country for employment.  

The prerequisite for this is the recognition of the university degree or vocational training that was handed out in the country of origin. The skilled worker must also be able to show a specific job offer from a German employer. In addition, professions with practical professional knowledge no longer have to be tested for their qualification with extensive examinations, but can receive a visa without an examination with the consent of an employer.  

The FEG initially had no influence on applicants who did not have an academic background until the accelerated skilled worker procedure came into force.  

Accelerated skilled worker procedure

The accelerated skilled worker procedure offers considerable advantages for all foreign applicants and German employers. The starting point was the problem of increased bureaucracy and the long processing times for the documents. The Federal Employment Agency, the recognition body, the diplomatic mission abroad and other stations held applications for a long time, so that a total of around 9 to 12 months were waited for the applicant to enter.  

With the accelerated skilled worker procedure, it is now possible to welcome the applicant in your own company in around 3 to 4 months. Understand the procedure as a service that is provided by the immigration authorities responsible for you, as the central actor. As an employer, you need a power of attorney from the applicant and € 411, which you submit to the immigration office. In the meantime, central offices have been set up for the processing of the accelerated skilled worker procedure. Inquire about which contact point you should contact in your federal state.  

The immigration authorities apply for the recognition procedure, which must report a result within a maximum of two months. The Federal Employment Agency then has one week to approve the procedure. The immigration office issues what is known as a preliminary vote, with which the applicant must receive an appointment at the German embassy in his or her country of origin within three weeks. The diplomatic mission abroad has a further three weeks to make a decision on the application for the relevant visa. There is another fee of € 75, which the diplomatic mission claims for itself and which is usually paid by the applicant. Please note that the recognition process may cost you between € 100 and € 600.

The accelerated specialist procedure applies to specialists with a university degree and vocational training, doctors, craftsmen and trainees. If you are unsure about your case or have general questions, please contact us using the form at the end of this page.  

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Job advertisement at GermanWay

Our website is visited daily by hundreds of foreign applicants who are interested in working in Germany. We also reach thousands of people with our contributions via social media. With a job advertisement at GermanWay you can reach this target group without any costs or commissions.  

You can use the form linked here to send us the necessary contact details and job descriptions, whereupon we will send you the first draft shortly. We will then send you the incoming applications and, ideally, we will hold a free and non-binding discussion about a possible cooperation.  

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Foreign applicant profiles

GermanWay has an obligation to make the top candidates available to employers in Germany. Ultimately, we are also interested in combating the shortage of skilled workers in the long term and in advancing both foreign applicants and German companies. This link takes you to the profiles of our candidates, to which you can get full access on request. These are selected candidates who have often completed the recognition procedure and have a B2 language level.