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German Immigration News
Our VISAGUARD blog on immigration law in Germany: All important immigration news from the areas of law, politics, and society.




“Delivered”: New rbb documentary sheds light on the fate of Indian students in Berlin
On December 2, 2025, rbb broadcast the documentary "Delivered! The Courier Business ." This documentary, a co-production of rbb and NDR, takes an unflinching look at the lives of thousands of Indian students in German cities. Many of them come to Germany with the dream of studying and securing better prospects. But the reality, documented by Fabian Grieger and Jan Wiese after months of research, paints a different picture: precarious working conditions, unpaid wages, and

Isabelle Manoli
Dec 5, 20253 min read


The work-and-stay agency will be more expensive than planned and will be financed from special funds.
The planned Work and Stay Agency (WSA) was originally intended to be a central instrument of modern immigration policy: efficient, digital, clearly structured, and designed as an interface between skilled workers and the administration. However, a recent look at the Budget Committee's recommendation paints a very different picture. The WSA will be more expensive than anticipated – and the method of its financing raises significant constitutional and political questions.

Isabelle Manoli
Dec 4, 20252 min read


#ForeignersAuthoritiesQuartet: How much truth is there to the quartet?
The "Immigration Office Quartet" contains numerous cards, categories, and humorous descriptions —but which of these correspond to actual conditions in the German migration administration and which are pure satire? This article explains which elements are based on true observations, which are exaggerated, and where personal experiences of lawyers have been incorporated. General bureaucracy jokes: Fax machines, printers and official logic The game initially features gene

Mirko Vorreuter, LL.B.
Dec 3, 20253 min read


New chatbot “Aidy” facilitates the recognition of foreign professional qualifications
Anyone who wants to work in Germany often has to have their professional qualifications acquired abroad recognized . This process is crucial for gaining access to the labor market – especially for skilled workers from third countries . However, recognition is complicated for many migrants: different responsibilities, complex requirements, and long processing times often lead to uncertainty. To make this process more understandable and accessible, the official "Recogniti

Isabelle Manoli
Dec 2, 20252 min read


Skilled immigration: Electricians are the biggest shortage occupation
The shortage of skilled workers in Germany is no longer an abstract problem; it directly affects the implementation of key political and...

Isabelle Manoli
Dec 1, 20252 min read


Retirement visa for wealthy US Americans
More and more Americans are discovering Germany as an attractive place for their retirement . The reasons are obvious: high quality...

Mirko Vorreuter, LL.B.
Nov 30, 20253 min read


Planned job cuts at the Foreign Office – a questionable signal in times of chronic overload
The announcement of plans to cut approximately 570 positions at the Federal Foreign Office by 2029 raises significant questions from a legal perspective. The ministry justifies this sweeping restructuring with the aim of strengthening and increasing the effectiveness of security- and economic-driven foreign policy. However, the reality in the consular sector – particularly in the processing of visa applications – paints a completely different picture : For years, the Fe

Mirko Vorreuter, LL.B.
Nov 29, 20253 min read


Allaboutberlin publishes a helpful tool for measuring waiting times at the State Office for Immigration (LEA)
In the context of labor migration to Germany, transparency regarding bureaucratic processes is playing an increasingly important role. For international professionals and companies that work with VISAGUARD, reliable information on processing times has become a crucial factor in planning the start of employment, residence permits, and relocation processes. This is precisely where AllAboutBerlin 's new tool comes in: " Foreigners Office Waiting Times " offers, for the

Isabelle Manoli
Nov 29, 20253 min read


The State Office for Immigration (LEA) continues to ignore the ruling of the Berlin Administrative Court on the parallel issuance of the Blue Card and permanent residence permit.
The judgment of the Berlin Administrative Court of May 14, 2025 (29 K 122/24) should have clarified the matter long ago: The simultaneous issuance of an EU Blue Card and a permanent residence permit is lawful, and the long-standing practice of the Berlin State Office for Immigration of refusing this combination was unlawful . Even then, the court made it clear that the EU Blue Card does not automatically expire when a skilled worker is granted a permanent residence pe

Mirko Vorreuter, LL.B.
Nov 28, 20253 min read


Case of Japanese church musician Mizuki Ikeya from Stuttgart
The case of Japanese church musician Mizuki Ikeya from Stuttgart has attracted nationwide attention – and impressively demonstrates the...

Mirko Vorreuter, LL.B.
Nov 28, 20252 min read


Germany scores highly in integration – experts see great progress
Ten years after the large-scale refugee influx, migration expert Herbert Brücker from the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) draws...

Isabelle Manoli
Nov 27, 20252 min read


Explanation of the difference: residence permit or residence title?
Until the Residence Act came into force in 2005, German immigration law regularly referred to the term " residence permit ." This...

Mirko Vorreuter, LL.B.
Nov 26, 20252 min read


Exotic residence rights: The right of residence under Article 21 TFEU
Some legal norms are applied less frequently in migration law than others. This applies, for example, to Article 21 TFEU . This norm is...

Mirko Vorreuter, LL.B.
Nov 25, 20253 min read


The Federal Employment Agency enables registration for labor market access abroad.
The Federal Employment Agency has launched a new online portal that provides skilled foreign workers with structured access to the German labor market while still in their home countries. This digital service marks another step in the Federal Government's overall digitalization strategy , which aims to facilitate the immigration of qualified workers and alleviate the existing labor shortage in key sectors (see also the discussion on the " Work and Stay Agency "). The

VISAGUARD Sekretariat
Nov 24, 20253 min read


Ukrainian refugees on the German labor market: Integration with noticeable progress
The integration of Ukrainian refugees into the German labor market is one of the greatest social challenges of recent years – and at the same time one of the most visible successes. According to the current IAB job survey, the proportion of employees in Germany who have fled Ukraine tripled between 2022 and the end of 2024. While only 0.2 percent of all employees came from Ukraine in 2022, by 2024 this figure had already risen to 0.6 percent – a total of around 242,000

VISAGUARD Sekretariat
Nov 24, 20253 min read


EES causes chaos at European airports
A bumpy start for the new entry/exit system The European Entry/Exit System (EES) , which collects biometric data from all third-country nationals entering the Schengen Area, is already causing significant problems in its current testing phase . Although full and mandatory implementation is still planned, numerous airports are already using the system – with clearly noticeable consequences for travelers. Chaotic scenes at European airports Reports from Alicante, Malaga, G

VISAGUARD Sekretariat
Nov 23, 20252 min read


Artificial intelligence in visa procedures: Federal government plans modernization
The German Federal Government is further advancing the digitalization of migration administration. At the Cabinet meeting on November 5, 2025, a policy paper outlining key points for the initiative "Introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Visa Procedures and Migration Administration" was presented. Although the full document has not yet been published by either the Federal Ministry of the Interior or the Federal Foreign Office, it is already becoming clear that the

VISAGUARD Sekretariat
Nov 23, 20253 min read


First results on the effectiveness of the recognition partnership
Since March 1, 2024, Germany has had a new instrument called the Recognition Partnership , which opens up new opportunities for...

VISAGUARD Sekretariat
Nov 22, 20252 min read


Fragomen Global Mobility Forum 2025: Important impulses for labor migration and business practice
On November 6, 2025, leading experts from business, administration, and international migration met in Frankfurt for this year's Fragomen Global Mobility Forum . The event at the Fraport Conference Center offered a comprehensive overview of current developments in global mobility , labor migration, and the increasing digitalization of border and visa procedures. The range of invited speakers was particularly impressive, including Lukas Gehrke , Head of the IOM Office in
Mirko Vorreuter
Nov 21, 20252 min read


Professional legal protection insurance for foreigners in Germany (visa law)
Foreigners living and working in Germany are often confronted with legal issues – for example, regarding their job, traffic, or...

VISAGUARD Sekretariat
Nov 20, 20252 min read
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