Migration experts strongly criticize new work-and-stay agency

It sounded like a great idea: With the new " Work and Stay Agency, " the German government wants to finally bring order to the chaos of skilled immigration . Centralized, digital, efficient – that's the promise. In reality, the project is causing a lot of head-shaking among those who deal with immigration law on a daily basis. From the perspective of migration experts in Germany, the Work and Stay Agency is nothing more than the latest attempt to hide bureaucratic failures behind fancy slogans .

A new name, the same problems

" We set up a state agency, distribute the tasks among a hundred sub-agencies – and that's supposed to be the solution? " This irony sums up the mood of many experts. What is happening here is typical of a policy that would rather create new structures than truly address old grievances. The actual problems – overburdened immigration authorities, excessive discretion, a lack of digitalization – remain. The Work and Stay Agency is supposed to centralize, digitize, and accelerate processes. But what is missing is the crucial thing: a change in mentality within the authorities . As long as the question there is "How do we reject this?" instead of "How do we get it approved?", even the best-looking platform is of no use.

A “landing page” instead of real reform

The board of Corporate Immigration Lawyers Germany (CILG), an association of leading immigration lawyers, has issued a position paper clearly opposing the plans of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) . The verdict is devastating: "Centralized, digital, and functional – this requires a reorganization of responsibilities, not a landing page in an agency model." Instead of genuine reforms, the work-and-stay agency threatens to become a digital facade concealing the same tangle of responsibilities as before.

Dangerous bureaucratic ping-pong

Even worse: many experts fear that the new agency will ultimately do more harm than good . If municipalities sit back because "the agency is now responsible," the system will collapse completely. Even today, the procedures are unpredictable, appointments at embassies are rare, and recognition processes are painfully slow. The result would be a double catastrophe: skilled workers who finally want to come are stuck in waiting lists, and companies that are urgently looking for staff continue to lose time – and money. Instead of finally removing real hurdles, the federal government is relying on symbolic politics . An "agency" that has neither decision-making powers nor staffing strength is nothing more than an administrative dummy – a fig leaf for political inability to act .

Conclusion: An agency of appearances

The Work and Stay Agency will not bring skilled workers to Germany, but will likely suffer the same fate as the so-called accelerated skilled worker procedure . It will likely drive them away – with false expectations, bureaucratic hurdles, and a digital veil over old problems. What Germany needs is the courage to simplify , not to repackage. Until then, the Work and Stay Agency will remain what it is: another chapter in the long history of German bureaucratic illusions .