With a low birth rate and a high number of job vacancies, Germany is preparing to reform its immigration and citizenship laws. Three statutes under consideration—a skilled labor law, a legal status law, and new citizenship law—would cause a "paradigm shift" in Germany's immigration policy, says Victoria Rietig, head of the migration program at the German Council on Foreign Relations.
The skilled labor law would implement a point-based immigration system, similar to the Canadian model, which would "expand the opportunities for skilled workers to come to Germany…by reducing bureaucracy [and] red tape," says Rietig. A point-based system allows for immigration based on criteria such as age, work experience, language skills, and qualifications, with each standard getting a point value. Once a threshold is reached, a visa is issued.
