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Recruiting nursing professionals from abroad with DeFa

Correct as of: 28/12/2021

The German Agency for International Healthcare Professionals (DeFa) is a state-owned company which supports the sustainable recruitment of nursing professionals from abroad. To do so, it works with institutions in the health care sector and personnel service agencies.

DeFa was established as a GmbH (limited liability company), based in Saarbrücken, in 2019, with the support of the Federal Ministry of Health. Its core activities include processing applications for professional recognition, admission to the labour market, and the entry of nursing professionals in an accelerated procedure for skilled workers. As a specialised administrative service provider, the agency handles applications in the accelerated procedure for skilled workers and accompanies them until the preliminary approval for the visa has been granted. The services provided range from simple application processing to document handling. By pooling and optimally processing applications, DeFa relieves the authorities and helps to ensure that the shortened deadlines in the accelerated procedure for skilled workers are met. As a result, nursing professionals from abroad are usually able to obtain a visa to enter Germany three months after submitting their application.

DeFa maintains bases in Mexico and Manila, and in future also in India and Brazil. These bases provide local support to applicants on their path to finding a future employer in Germany.

At their request, DeFa helps nursing facilities and hospitals with the quality assurance and project management of their recruitment drive. In the various service categories, DeFa has so far helped more than 1,500 nursing professionals to come to Germany to work for more than 300 clinics and nursing facilities.

For enquiries about cooperation, please contact the DeFa customer advisory service on +49 681 965926 71 or send an email to info[at]efa-agentur.de.

For more information, please visit the DeFa website

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