Germany evaluates Skilled Immigration Act and unveils “Work-and-Stay Agency” one-stop visa platform

Germany’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs published a wide-ranging stock-take of the 2023 Skilled Immigration Act on 27 February 2026. The evaluation shows that between June 2024 and November 2025 German consulates issued 17,489 so-called “Opportunity Cards”, which allow qualified third-country nationals to enter the country for a job-search period of up to 12 months, and a further 838 visas under the new “experience pillar” for applicants whose professional track record outweighs the absence of a formally recognised degree. Demand, officials note, has been strongest in IT, engineering and skilled trades, precisely the areas of Germany’s most acute labour shortages. To accelerate processing and lower administrative hurdles, Labour Minister Bärbel Bas confirmed plans for a federal “Work-and-Stay Agency”. Due to be legally established later this year, the agency will act as a digital gateway that connects overseas visa sections, the Federal Employment Agency and local foreigners’ authorities via a single data hub. Migrants and employers will be able to upload documents only once; back-office AI tools will pre-screen applications for completeness and fraud indicators before a human officer issues a binding decision. In practical terms the platform promises to slash average Blue Card processing times: early pilot tests cut end-to-end handling from 66 days to 27 days. Smaller Mittelstand companies—long disadvantaged by complex red tape—are expected to benefit most. “We cannot afford to lose global talent because of paper forms and multi-layered queues,” Bas told reporters, adding that the agency would publish its full cost and timeline on 1 March 2026. The report also highlights encouraging labour-market outcomes for refugees: 64 percent of people who arrived in 2015 are now in work, with 90 percent in regular, insured employment. Policymakers see this as evidence that early language training and faster credential recognition—both strengthened by the 2023 reforms—are beginning to pay off. For HR and global-mobility managers the message is clear. Companies should update onboarding check-lists to integrate the new digital workflow, monitor forthcoming salary-threshold guidelines, and proactively source candidates who could enter on an Opportunity Card before switching to a permanent permit. Given Germany’s demographic crunch—350,000 skilled workers retire each year—the combination of simplified visas and a single electronic window could make Europe’s largest economy one of the most business-friendly immigration destinations in the G7.