Skilled workers from all over the world working in Germany

Approval of the Federal Employment Agency

Before you recruit a skilled worker from a third country, you usually need the approval of the Federal Employment Agency. Read more on what requirements apply.

Citizens from EU and EEA Member States as well as Switzerland may take up employment in Germany without restriction in accordance with the Freedom of Movement Act. Their status is equal to domestic employees. In most cases, access to the German labour market for international skilled workers from third countries requires the approval of the Federal Employment Agency (BA).

In general, the approval is granted if the following conditions are met:

  • There is a concrete job offer: the employment contract is usually accepted as proof.
  • The working conditions are comparable with those of domestic employees. The assessment is carried out on the basis of the "Declaration of Employment" form.
  • In the case of the EU Blue Card, the employment must be appropriate to the qualification.

As part of the visa procedure, the competent authorities will obtain the Federal Employment Agency's approval by themselves, if need be. The BA must report back to the authorities within two weeks after the request. Once this period has expired, the approval is automatically deemed to have been granted, if not stated otherwise. If a fast-track procedure for skilled workers is carried out in preparation for the visa application, the deadline is reduced to one week.

Tip

If the fast-track procedure for skilled workers is not an option for you but you would still like to have the requirements for the approval of employment checked before your potential recruit submits the visa application, you can use the pre-approval procedure. To do so, please contact your employer service.

Persons who do not require the approval of the Federal Employment Agency

In certain cases, the residence title for the purpose of employment is also granted without the approval of the BA:

Information on the web

  1. Federal Employment Agency (BA) Information on admission to the labour market
  2. Sachsen.de (the free state of Saxony) Information on the fast-track procedure for skilled workers for employers

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