Vocational Training Immigration - Land receives agency for foreign expertise
The Expert Labour Agency will be established at the state level. This decision was made by the green-black cabinet, as the Justice and Social Ministries announced jointly in Stuttgart. The agency will therefore be located at the government presidiums in Karlsruhe and Stuttgart.
In the state capital, procedures for health and care professions will be processed, and all other procedures in Karlsruhe. The new authority should not only, but also alongside the previously responsible foreign offices, be responsible for the implementation of the expedited expert labour procedure. Both departments of the planned new state agency will receive a joint internet presence.
Foreign offices partially at their limits
Migration Minister Marion Gentges (CDU) had initiated an initiative for an authority for expert labour immigration nearly a year ago. The economy supported this project. The numbers in the expedited expert labour procedure in Baden-Württemberg, according to coalition statements, had been satisfactory until then. While 792 and 1,748 expedited expert labour procedures could be completed in 2021 and 2022, respectively, the number in 2023 was 2,838.
A reason for the establishment of the new state agency is the increasing burden on the 137 foreign offices in the South. They are heavily burdened due to the previously unknown access from Ukraine since the Russian attack in February 2022 and the enormous increase in the number of asylum seekers, Gentges stated. With the agency, foreign experts should be able to enter the country in a simple and faster manner and thus strengthen the economic location.
IHK Vice President: No redundant structures
The Vice President of the Baden-Württemberg Industrial and Commercial Chamber (BWIHK), Claus Paal, welcomed the green light for the state agency. He stated: "Twelve months are too long for a decision that was urgently needed and has significant implications for the competitiveness of our companies." No more time should be lost, the new contact point should start working as soon as possible.
From the state government, Paal expects the new agency to be designed in such a way that it actually provides relief. "For us, this means avoiding redundant structures, fully digitalising processes, and designing the workflows efficiently." Clear demarcation between the state agency and the communal authorities is also required.
Over 900,000 experts could be missing by 2035
The position should also improve recognition in health professions, where the state has jurisdiction. Otherwise, it lies with the other professions, for example with the Chambers. The new state agency should fundamentally work digitally. According to the IHK Expert Labour Monitor from April in Baden-Württemberg, 910,000 experts could be missing by 2035.
It is still open when the planned state agency will start. In particular, the start is dependent on the provision of personnel and material requirements, it continues. The number of required personnel is still unclear.
- The establishment of the Expert Labor Agency is a collaborative effort between the Justice and Social Ministries, as announced by the green-black cabinet in Stuttgart.
- The agency will be responsible for processing procedures in health and care professions in the state capital, while all other procedures will be handled in Karlsruhe.
- Marion Gentges, the CDU's Migration Minister, initiated a project for an Expert Immigration Authority nearly a year ago due to the strain on foreign offices.
- The agency is intended to alleviate the burden on the 137 foreign offices in Baden-Württemberg, particularly due to the influx of asylum seekers and experts from Ukraine.
- Claus Paal, the Vice President of the BWIHK, welcomed the establishment of the agency, emphasizing the need for digital processes and avoiding redundant structures.
- According to the IHK Expert Labor Monitor, over 900,000 experts could be missing in Baden-Württemberg by 2035, highlighting the importance of this new authority.
