Applying for a residence permit for skilled workers with vocational training

You can obtain a residence permit if you wish to work in Germany in a profession for which you require qualified vocational training. This means that you have completed vocational training in a state-recognised or similarly regulated apprenticeship.

The training must have lasted at least two years. If you completed your vocational training abroad, the relevant recognition body must determine whether your qualification is equivalent to a recognised German vocational qualification. A relevant recognition body could, for example, be the Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

In order for you to be granted a residence permit, the Federal Employment Agency must, as a rule, give its approval. It checks,

• whether the working conditions are comparable to those of similar German workers, and
• whether a domestic employment relationship exists.

The residence permit is granted for four years or, if the period is shorter, for the duration of the employment contract plus three months.