Residence Permit with vocational training
If you have already completed your vocational training abroad, you may be eligible for a residence permit to work in Germany.
Three important conditions must be satisfied for this purpose:
- You must have an offer of employment for a job for which completed vocational training is required.
- The occupation that you have learned must be formally equivalent to the corresponding occupation requiring formal training in Germany. You can check whether this equivalence applies via the website www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de.
- Your occupation must be one for which manpower is required in Germany. You can find an overview of these occupations on the following webpage.
You can find out whether your occupation is one of the occupations for which there is a shortage by consulting the positive list of the Federal Employment Agency. With the entry into force of the Specialist Immigration Act on 1.3.2020, the restriction to occupations for which there is a shortage will no longer apply.
By checking the site www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de you can find out which office is responsible for the recognition of foreign training. To speed up the visa procedure, your employer can obtain the approval of the Federal Employment Agency before applying for a visa. We are also happy to assist you in this process.
Residence permit without qualified vocational training
As citizens of Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Monaco, New Zealand, San Marino and the USA, you can be granted a residence permit for employment even if you cannot provide evidence of a recognised professional qualification (Section 26 (1) Employment Ordinance). The prerequisite is that no domestic applicants are available (priority check) and that the working conditions are in accordance with the usual standards. As a citizen of the above-mentioned states, you can also submit an application during a visit.