Skilled-worker visa for practical work (Fachkräftevisum): § 18a AufenthG in Berlin

The current wording of § 18a AufenthG

§ 18a AufenthG bears the official heading "Fachkräfte mit Berufsausbildung" (skilled workers with vocational training) and, since 18 November 2023 (Stage 1 of the Gesetz zur Weiterentwicklung der Fachkräfteeinwanderung, Act on the Further Development of Skilled Immigration, BGBl. 2023 I Nr. 217), reads in full: "A skilled worker with vocational training shall be granted a residence permit for the exercise of any qualified employment." That is the entire text of the provision – a single sentence. Earlier versions still contained in § 18a itself information on the period of validity, the approval requirement of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit, and the requirement that the employment must match the vocational training; with the reform, these elements were moved into the general provision § 18 AufenthG, which since then applies jointly to several skilled-worker titles. A further substantive change to § 18a AufenthG by the GEAS-Anpassungsgesetz (in force since 12 June 2026) cannot be established from the official version of the law and the amendment overview of Article 2 of this law: only §§ 2, 9b, 10, 11, 12a, 13, 14a, 15b, 16g, 25, 26, 29, 30, 65, 71, and 73 AufenthG were amended there – all provisions on asylum and border procedure law. § 18 and § 18a are not included.

Where the requirements are today: § 18 AufenthG

§ 18 AufenthG bears the heading "Grundsatz der Fachkräfteeinwanderung; allgemeine Bestimmungen" (principle of skilled immigration; general provisions) and applies jointly to the residence titles under §§ 18a, 18b, 18g, and 19c. For issuance, § 18 Abs. 2 AufenthG requires, among other things, a concrete job offer, in principle the approval of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit under § 39 AufenthG (exceptions exist where law, an intergovernmental agreement, or the Beschäftigungsverordnung (Employment Ordinance) provide for employment not requiring approval), a professional practice permit where required, and the determination of the equivalence of the qualification where this is a requirement of the respective title. For first issuance after reaching the age of 45, the salary must also reach at least 55 percent of the annual contribution assessment ceiling in the general pension insurance, unless adequate old-age provision is proven. Under § 18 Abs. 3 Nr. 1 AufenthG, a skilled worker with vocational training is someone who "holds a domestic qualified vocational training or a foreign professional qualification equivalent to a domestic qualified vocational training". The period of validity is governed by § 18 Abs. 4 AufenthG: residence titles under §§ 18a, 18b, 18g, and 19c are granted for up to four years; for a shorter employment relationship or shorter approval by the Bundesagentur für Arbeit, correspondingly shorter plus six months, but never longer than four years. If employment ends early, the period of validity is shortened under § 18 Abs. 5 AufenthG, but at least six months (or nine months where there are sufficient grounds for particularly exploitative working conditions within the meaning of Richtlinie 2009/52/EG, the EU Employers Sanctions Directive) from the end of employment remain.

What "qualified employment" and "qualified vocational training" mean legally

Both terms are defined by law in § 2 AufenthG. Under § 2 Abs. 12a AufenthG, qualified vocational training exists "if it is vocational training in a state-recognized or comparably regulated training occupation for which a training duration of at least two years is laid down under federal or state regulations". Under § 2 Abs. 12b AufenthG, qualified employment exists "if its exercise requires skills, knowledge, and abilities acquired in a university course or a qualified vocational training". Since the reform of 18 November 2023, the specific employment no longer has to match the originally learned training: § 18a AufenthG permits "any" qualified employment as long as it requires knowledge from a university course or qualified vocational training in this sense – not necessarily from the person's own training.

Recognition as a requirement

The decisive difference from the academic skilled worker (§ 18b AufenthG): foreign vocational training only counts as a "skilled worker with vocational training" within the meaning of § 18 Abs. 3 Nr. 1 AufenthG if it was either obtained in Germany or is recognized as equivalent to a German qualified vocational training. This determination of equivalence is a separate administrative procedure under the Berufsqualifikationsfeststellungsgesetz (Professional Qualifications Assessment Act) and the respective chamber laws; how it works, which body is responsible (ZAB, Central Office for Foreign Education; IHK FOSA; Handwerkskammer Berlin, Berlin Chamber of Crafts), and where free counseling is available in Berlin is explained in detail on the topic page "Recognition of foreign qualifications in Berlin" – this is not repeated here. If recognition has not yet been completed by the desired start of entry or work, an Anerkennungspartnerschaft under § 16d Abs. 3 AufenthG often comes into question first instead of § 18a AufenthG, in which recognition is only carried out after entry, in parallel with work; upon full recognition, a switch to § 18a AufenthG is then provided for. Details on the topic page "Anerkennungspartnerschaft in Berlin".

Berlin implementation: application at the Landesamt für Einwanderung

Responsible is the LEA at the location Keplerstraße 2, 10589 Berlin. According to the information of the Service-Portal Berlin on the "Aufenthaltserlaubnis für Fachkräfte mit Berufsausbildung" (residence permit for skilled workers with vocational training, § 18a AufenthG), applicants must prove, among other things, lawful residence, an employment contract or job offer from an employer with its place of business in Germany, proof of qualification (German training or recognized foreign professional qualification), for regulated professions the professional practice permit, sufficient health insurance coverage, and main residence in Berlin; to be submitted are, among other things, the online application, copies of ID, the employment contract, proof of qualification, the form "Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis" filled out by the employer, and proof of residence and health insurance. According to the same source, the fees are 56 euros for first issuance as a sticker label or 49 euros for extension, 100 euros for the first electronic residence permit (eAT) or 93 euros for its extension, reduced rates for Turkish nationals (27.60 euros under 24 years, 46 euros from 24 years), and 6 euros for a digital passport photo at the terminal. After the online application and payment of the fee, the LEA carries out a review, and if positive, a personal appointment with presentation of the original documents follows; an eAT is ready for collection after around 4 to 6 weeks, a sticker label can be issued directly on site.

Federal law vs. Berlin implementation

Whether and under which conditions the title is granted is governed uniformly nationwide by the Aufenthaltsgesetz; Berlin has no discretion of its own in this. What is Berlin-specific is the responsibility of the LEA Keplerstraße, the digital application procedure via the Service-Portal Berlin, and the fees and processing times stated there.