Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz?

It's a fairly long German word which came up in the news today.  The meaning?  Basically 'experts immigration law'.

So, if you didn't know already....the population of Germany (for well over fifty years) has been on a decline.  The million-plus migrants who came into Germany since 2013?  That marginally kept the slide at a minimum....but it continues on.

This translates over to a harsh reality.....German industry has a aging population, and tens of thousands of positions are sitting there with people about to retire, and simply not enough Germans (skilled and certified) to fill those positions.  Even from the EU countries, which could easily shift people over to Germany....the interest in moving and accumulating into German society isn't that great.

So the coalition government (CDU-CSU-SPD) has been in this talk situation.  To be honest, they've been talking about a immigration law for almost twenty years now.

 In the last week or two, they've reached an agreement and a law has been crafted.

The basic structure?  These 'occupations' that have serious shortages will be identified.  Companies will be able to 'invite' an individual to enter Germany on some type of work-visa, and there has to be a contract extended to the individual.  People are allowed to 'look for a job' in Germany as well....up to six months.  Benefits?  No social benefits during this six month period....meaning if you get let go or think you need welfare in that period....it won't exist. 

Fixing the issue?  I would suggest that this might be more of a pain, and only limited numbers of people will take up this job-immigration deal.

Apparently the language business was left out of the structure, and I would imagine the intensive language classes will be a barrier for most folks.  The salary structure?  For some folks in 3rd-world countries, Germany might be a major bump-up.  For most comparable countries.....if you walked in and looked at costs....you'd shake your head over taxation and monthly costs for rent, heat, and utilities.

I hate to suggest all this talk and negotiation work giving you no real plus-up, but I suspect that will be the end-result.  But if they got just a couple of thousand entries....they'd pat themselves on the back and call it a major success.