Germany extends special work permits for people from Western Balkans

Citizens of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo will still be able to work in Germany until 2023, regardless of their job qualifications.

According to Deutsche Welle (DW), the special permit allowing economic migrants from the countries of the region to work in Germany will be extended and the German Ministry of Labour is expected to extend the validity of the relevant regulation for the Western Balkans until 2023.

The Ministry of Labour has already forwarded the new ordinance to the German Government for adoption.

As of January 2016, workers from the Western Balkan countries could obtain a work visa and go to Germany, even without knowing the German language and without having professional qualifications. Every year, 25,000 people decide to apply for a work visa for Germany.

The prerequisite was that the applicant has a job contract with an employer in Germany and that the German Federal Employment Office (BA) gave its consent. The applicant only has to prove that they have not been the recipients of welfare assistance in their homeland previously.

This special regulation is written due to the high number of asylum seekers and is in force until December 2020.

Until now, it was not clear whether the planned extension of the Regulation would take place because of the government coalition’s fears that the coronavirus pandemic would increase the number of unemployed people in Germany.

According to sources in the German Government, a large number of workers from the Western Balkans are employed in the construction sector in Germany.

(Nova Ekonomija, 23.07.2020)

https://novaekonomija.rs/vesti-iz-zemlje/nema%C4%8Dka-ipak-produ%C5%BEava-dozvolu-za-dolazak-radne-snage-sa-balkana

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