Germany to pass immigration reform bill this week

Berlin-Germany is set to pass a law this week to facilitate the immigration of skilled workers, especially from outside the European Union.

Lawmakers from the ruling coalition said the government reached agreement on the new law on Monday.

Ms Katja Mast of the Social Democrats, who rule alongside the FDP and the Greens, said long-awaited reforms would modernize Germany’s immigration policy.

“And we will achieve it this week,” she said at a press conference alongside FDP member Johannes Vogel and Green MP Irene Mihalich.

This law allows Europe’s largest economy to Fight labor shortages. According to the Labor Department, there will be nearly 2 million job openings in 2022, a record high.

The reform could bring in 60,000 more workers a year from non-EU countries, according to a bill the government unveiled at the end of March.

It offers foreign workers three avenues to enter the country, including a new “opportunity card” for those who do not have job offers but may find work.

This opportunity card follows a point-based system that takes into account qualifications, language skills, work experience, German connections and age.Reuters