As Germany confronts a shortage of skilled workers it is rewriting its immigration law to allow immigrants to gain citizenship faster, according to a new draft regulation reported on by CNBC Monday.
The report stated the new law would reduce the time it takes a foreigner to acquire German citizenship from the present eight years, to five, and in some cases just three, if the applicant can demonstrate evidence of attempting to assimilate, such as becoming proficient in German. The law would also eliminate the present ban on migrants possessing dual-citizenship with non-EU countries.
The regulation also advances basing entry of immigrants on a points system, as is used in Canada, allowing skilled workers to enter the country if they have suitable work experience and a job offer lined up, even if they lack the correct professional, state-recognized qualifications.
According to the report, the new law will be submitted for approval by legislators in the upcoming weeks, and it is expected to be passed by the summer.
Experts are lauding the new proposal, saying its timing is perfect, given the crisis in skilled workers that Germany is facing. A recent survey by the German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DHIK), found more than half of German companies were unable to fill vacancies due to a lack of skilled applicants.
53% of the 22,000 companies which responded to the survey reported a worker shortage, the highest level ever seen. The researchers who assembled the survey calculated that roughly 2 million vacancies in the nation are presently unfilled.
The Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the German Bertelsmann Foundation released a study earlier in the month which found highly skilled migrants and entrepreneurs from abroad are rapidly turning away from Germany, as they look to emigrate to the West.
The report looked at the factors which attract qualified migrants in 38 different countries with the OECD, including professional opportunities, income, taxes, opportunities for family members, and quality of life. It found that compared to the same study done in 2019, Germany had fallen three positions, to 15th place.
