Germany recently introduced a series of visa reforms to address its labour shortages, with changes in salary thresholds, streamlined access for IT specialists, and relaxed family reunification rules. Here’s what these updates mean.

Germany has revised its annual salary requirements for employment visas:  

< A job offer must guarantee an annual gross salary of at least €43,470 in 2025.  

< If an employer operates under collective agreements, the agreed remuneration is sufficient.  

Eligibility for the EU Blue Card has been expanded. Graduates from foreign universities within the last three years can now apply, provided their job in Germany pays at least 45.3% of the annual pension insurance assessment ceiling (€43,759.80 in 2025). This applies to both regular and shortage occupations. For all other occupations, the threshold is set at 50% (€48,300).

For IT professionals, the required work experience has been reduced to two years, down from three. Academic qualifications remain optional, and language skills are no longer a visa requirement. However, the job offer must meet the gross annual salary threshold of €43,470 in 2025 or comply with collective agreements.

The new rules also ease family reunification:  

< Spouses and minor children of skilled workers are no longer required to prove adequate living space.  

< Parents and parents-in-law can now join certain skilled workers, provided their residence permit was granted after March 1, 2024.  

Residence permits for adaptation measures now cover 24 months, with the option to extend for a further 12 months, totalling up to three years. Additionally, the allowance for secondary employment during qualification has been increased to 20 hours per week.

Germany has broadened access for non-academic professionals:  

< Skilled professionals with at least two years of training and two years of experience can now work without requiring formal recognition of their qualifications in Germany.  

< Nursing and care assistants with foreign or German training can apply for a residence permit to search for jobs, valid for up to 18 months.  

Germany’s visa application process has gone digital. The newly launched platform offers services for 28 categories of national visas, including work, education, training, and family reunification. The system, operational across all 167 German missions globally, aims to simplify applications for skilled workers and students.

Germany’s reforms present an opportunity for Indian professionals. With 273,000 Indians already in Germany, the community has grown significantly, reflecting the country’s need for skilled talent.  

“Every year, Germany is short of at least 400,000 skilled workers. 400,000 clever minds and even more agile hands to keep our country running – in the skilled crafts sector, in the care sector, in tech companies,” said Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.  

To address this shortage, Germany plans to issue 200,000 professional visas in 2024, of which 90,000 will be reserved for Indian workers. This marks a sharp increase from the current annual cap of 20,000. As of February 2024, 137,000 Indian professionals are employed in skilled positions in Germany, up from 23,000 in 2015.  

These reforms and opportunities align with Germany’s long-term efforts to attract global talent and strengthen its workforce.