German Opportunity Card 2023 or Chancenkarte: How to apply for a point-based visa for skilled workers

Benefits of opportunity card for Germany

Here are some benefits of ‘Chancenkarte’

  1. Companies prefer candidates who are already residing in Germany
  2. Professionals can move to Germany even without having an offer in hand.
  3. This is similar to what the existing Jobseeker visa offers.
  4. You can work part-time while searching for a field Job.
  5. You don’t need a sponsorship letter for the visa

Drawbacks of the German opportunity card

Some of the shortcomings of the opportunity card are:

  1. There will be an upper limit on how many opportunity cards will be allocated in a year. It basically means that there will be more applicants and less number of visas available each year under this category.
  2. Not everyone is eligible for a visa under this scheme. You will be eligible only if you meet certain eligibility criteria as listed previously.
  3. It might lead to additional verifications and bureaucracy leading to longer wait times for visa approval.
  4. If you are an IT professional, you can usually get an English-speaking job in Germany. But, the eligibility criteria of the opportunity card will force you to learn German even if you might not need German proficiency in your job.
  5. The age limit of 35 years is also a bit harsh criteria in my opinion.
German Opportunity Card 2023 or Chancenkarte: How to apply for a point-based visa for skilled workers The German Cabinet of Ministers is actively working on reforming the country's migration legislation. The reforms are aimed at attracting highly qualified workers from outside the EU. The changes are mainly focused on employees with vocational and technical education, but the rules will be relaxed for the rest of the employees with higher education. The shortage of highly qualified workers is planned to be overcome by the introduction of the "Chancenkarte" visa - a special permit to look for work in Germany. Chancenkarte – What is an Opportunity card? Citizens of non-EU countries will in the future be able to apply for a special job-seeking permit in Germany on the Chancenkarte - provided they have enough points. The scoring system will take into account qualifications, professional experience, age, knowledge of the German language, and ties to Germany. When can you start applying? The opportunity card is a new type of visa that is yet to be implemented. You can expect to have this publicly available by late 2023. Eligibility criteria for an opportunity card To be eligible for the opportunity card in Germany, you must satisfy the following conditions: Age: You should be under 35 years. Qualifications: A university degree or professionally qualified. Experience: You should hold at least 3 years of work experience. Language: Either German language or previous residency in Germany is required. At least 3 of the 4 conditions should be met in order to be eligible for the opportunity card. The more conditions you satisfy, the better chances you have. Also, as this new type of visa is yet to be implemented, there is no full clarity around the exact eligibility criteria and how the points will be calculated. Benefits of opportunity card for Germany Here are some benefits of 'Chancenkarte' Companies prefer candidates who are already residing in Germany Professionals can move to Germany even without having an offer in hand. This is similar to what the existing Jobseeker visa offers. You can work part-time while searching for a field Job. You don't need a sponsorship letter for the visa Drawbacks of the German opportunity card Some of the shortcomings of the opportunity card are: There will be an upper limit on how many opportunity cards will be allocated in a year. It basically means that there will be more applicants and less number of visas available each year under this category. Not everyone is eligible for a visa under this scheme. You will be eligible only if you meet certain eligibility criteria as listed previously. It might lead to additional verifications and bureaucracy leading to longer wait times for visa approval. If you are an IT professional, you can usually get an English-speaking job in Germany. But, the eligibility criteria of the opportunity card will force you to learn German even if you might not need German proficiency in your job. The age limit of 35 years is also a bit harsh criteria in my opinion. Talk to an expert Fahad Khan ⚡️ to avoid these drawbacks and find the best way Align to the left Align in the middle Resize to full width Align to the right Add a link to the embedded image Add alt text Delete image No alt text provided for this image
Comparison of Opportunity Card and Job Seeker Visa

Next

You may also like