Media reports: Asyl seekers rarely use the opportunity to switch specialized procedure
Asyl-applicants scarcely manage to obtain a secure residence status as skilled workers in Germany so far. A survey by the newspaper "Welt am Sonntag" in the ten cities with the most inhabitants revealed that only a few asyl-applicants have taken advantage of the new possibility to switch from the asylum procedure to the skilled workers procedure.
"No asyl-applicants in Dortmund have made this switch yet", a city spokesperson informed the newspaper. A city spokesperson in Frankfurt am Main stated, "no cases have been reported so far". Duesseldorf reported one case. Cologne reported "very few applications". Some cities declined to comment. Munich reported around 25 people who had applied. Some of these had been granted the change. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees confirmed on inquiry that no nationwide figures were available, reported the "Welt am Sonntag".
Since November 2023, asyl-applicants who entered before March 29, 2023 and have a qualification and a job offer can apply for a residence permit as a skilled worker - if they withdraw their asylum application. Previously, one had to leave the country and apply for a work visa from abroad. Critics had already criticized the rules as too complicated in the previous year.
The "Welt am Sonntag" survey found that only a handful of asylum seekers in Cologne have utilized the opportunity to transition from asylum procedures to skilled worker procedures. Expert procedures for this transition remain underutilized, as evidenced by the lack of cases reported in Dortmund and Frankfurt am Main. Despite this, Munich has seen around 25 asylum seekers attempt the transition, with some successfully obtaining the change.
