Skilled Worker Visa
For vocational and academic professionals with a job offer.

Who is the Skilled Worker Visa for?

The Skilled Worker Visa is the foundation of Germany's immigration system. It covers both professionals with a university degree (Section 18b AufenthG) and those with a vocational/tertiary qualification (Section 18a AufenthG) [2†L22-L28]. Unlike the EU Blue Card, there is no minimum salary requirement, but the salary must be comparable to that of a German employee.

You must meet the following conditions:

• Qualification: A recognised university degree or a vocational qualification (minimum 2 years of training).
• Job offer: A concrete job offer in Germany that matches your qualification.
• Professional recognition: Your qualification must be recognised in Germany (full equivalence).
• Salary (for those over 45): If you are aged 45 or older, you must earn at least €53,130 gross per year (2025/2026) or prove adequate retirement provisions [1†L27-L32].

Recognition of Vocational Qualifications

Your foreign vocational qualification must be recognised as equivalent to a German qualification. The competent recognition body for your profession will issue a decision. The application is handled in a two-step procedure: recognition of the vocational certificate, followed by the visa application. The Goethe-Institut offers free advice and support for the recognition process (www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de) [10†L39-L45].