The German government hopes that the law will attract skilled workers from all kinds of industries to come and meet the shortage of skilled manpower in the country.
Besides skilled workers, international students who are currently studying in Germany or planning to do so in the future can also benefit from the law.
The new rules will make it easier for the students to combine work and study in Germany at every stage of higher education, even before being granted admission by a university.
With the Visum zur Studienbewerbung (literally, visa for study applications), non-EU citizens will be permitted to come and stay in Germany for up to nine months.
During this nine-month period, they will be allowed to prepare their applications for admission to a university, take language courses, gather documents, and get to know about the country.
Most importantly, they will be permitted to work up to 20 hours per week during these nine months to fund their stay in the country. Previously, work alongside the nine-month stay was not allowed.
Besides prospective students, apprenticeship applicants will also be able to benefit from the new law by staying in Germany for nine months.
During the nine-month period, these applicants will be permitted to look for an apprenticeship.
However, having B1-level German skills and age below 35 years are mandatory for these applicants.
They will also be permitted to work part-time hours in any job and can continue working for 20 hours per week alongside their training once they have secured an apprenticeship spot.
International students will be able to work more hours thanks to the adoption of the second part of the skilled worker immigration law by the German government.
The amount of time that international students are permitted to work has now increased from 120 to 140 full days in any calendar year.
Moreover, under the new German Skilled Worker Visa rules, anyone with a degree from a university or a vocational qualification recognised by the country in which it was obtained can come to Germany if they can demonstrate two years of experience in the field in which they would like to work.
