Manpower-short Germany ups skilled worker visas

Frankfurt, Germany: Germany will issue upwards of 10 percent more professional visas in 2024 after it relaxed some rules in a bid to tackle chronic la...

Frankfurt, Germany: Germany will issue upwards of 10 percent more professional visas in 2024 after it relaxed some rules in a bid to tackle chronic labour shortages, the government said on Sunday.

With 1.34 million jobs vacant, last year's liberalisation of rules concerning immigration of skilled workers addresses a critical shortage in Europe's largest economy, whose growth has spluttered in recent years.

Following the adoption of a points-based system inspired by Canada, 200,000 professional visas will be issued in 2024, a government statement said.

Third-country student visas rose by 20 percent, the number of apprenticeship visas have doubled and the recognition of foreign qualifications saw a near-50-percent climb, the statement added.

"We are working to attract the skilled workers and professionals that our economy has urgently needed for years," Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.