Germany losing appeal for highly skilled immigrants, study shows

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BERLIN (AA) — Germany has lost popularity as a destination for highly skilled migrants, entrepreneurs, and start-ups from abroad, according to the results of an international study released on Thursday.

Hesitant naturalization practices in Germany and sluggish digitalization were among the reasons cited by the study, conducted by the OECD in cooperation with the German Bertelsmann Foundation.

On these findings, migration expert Ulrich Kober told the local daily Welt that Germany remained an "open and attractive country for skilled immigration."

"But there is a need for action when it comes to issuing visas, digitization, naturalization or dealing with diversity," added Kober, who works for the Bertelsmann Stiftung foundation.

According to the expert, the low influx of skilled workers from third countries and reluctance of companies to recruit abroad were evidence of this.

Only when it comes to international students does Germany occupy a top position, just behind the US and ahead of Britain, Norway, and Australia.

The Bertelsmann Stiftung explained that this was due to high-quality German universities, lower costs, and good opportunities to work and stay during and after studies.

As part of the study, conditions that attract qualified migrants were examined for all 38 member countries in cooperation with the OECD.

These parameters include quality of professional opportunities, income, taxes, opportunities for family members, and quality of life. According to the results, Germany dropped three rankings to 15th place for highly qualified professionals from abroad compared to an earlier study from 2019.

The German government plans to introduce a new points-based immigration system by the end of 2023, similar to the Canadian model, which allows well-qualified non-EU citizens to enter the country to seek work.

It also aims to simplify administrative procedures for recognizing professional qualifications of immigrants and making it easier for them to bring family members.

The left-liberal coalition government plans to complete work on the legislative changes in the coming weeks and submit them to parliament for approval in the first half of 2023.