Germany Needs Foreign Workers, But Its Complex Visa System Says Otherwise

The German market is in serious need of skilled workers, with the scarcity of qualified specialists standing at about 530,000, as a recent study by the German Economic Institute (IW) has revealed.

However, regardless of the immediate need to address the labour shortages, especially in the healthcare sector, Germany remains a heavily burdened country with bureaucratic hurdles, which often make the process of obtaining a visa difficult, Schengen.News reports. 

Qualified foreign professionals often complain about the system, including visa processing times, as the applicants are often left to wait months to years for an answer to their request. 

Such is the case of a Turkish doctor who applied for a national visa to Germany, in hopes of practising her profession in a country that, on paper, urgently needs more doctors like her from abroad. 

However, the 25-year-old doctor has been waiting a long time to obtain a visa with the administrative requirements hindering the process. On top of being tiring, these procedures are also quite expensive, as the Turkish national revealed. 

12% of All Doctors in Germany in 2023 Were Foreign Nationals 
The number of foreign workers in Germany has also increased in recent years, with a report published by Destatis in 2023, revealing that 12 per cent of all doctors across German hospitals and healthcare service providers were foreign.

The data also revealed that the doctor’s profession was the second most recognised foreign professional qualification in 2022. 

According to the latest EURES report, the 25 most demanded professions in Germany, include many occupations, with some of them being dental assistants and therapists, nursing associate professionals, medical technicians and physiotherapists. It is estimated that in total, the German labour market has shortages in over 70 occupations. 

Germany ‘Desperately’ in Need of Healthcare Professionals 
In the health and nursing sector alone, 16,698 positions are unfilled, and many more are expected to follow.

• Due to demographic trends, an increase in the demand for skilled workers in these professions is expected in the future. Report by German Economic Institute (IW) 

According to the Federal Foreign Office, authorities processed almost two million applications in 2024, with 419,000 being approved. 

The majority of these applications – 172,000 were for work visas, while 124,000 were granted for family reunification. In addition, 99,000 visas were issued for study purposes, and 24,000 were issued for other reasons.

Sources: https://schengen.news/germany-needs-foreign-workers-but-its-complex-visa-system-says-otherwise/