With immediate effect, foreign nationals with pending asylum applications who have resided in Germany for at least three months are exempt from the labor market test to obtain a work permit.

This exemption will be in effect for three years. Refugees from safe countries of origin, as determined by the German government (e.g. Albania, Ghana, Montenegro, Senegal and Serbia, to name a few), are not eligible for the exemption.

Background

The labor market test is a step in the work permit application process that confirms to the German authorities that the relevant job cannot be assigned to an equally-qualified German national, EU national or a foreign national with unrestricted work permission.

What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals

Eligible foreign nationals and their employers should benefit from streamlined access to the German labor market.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to frankfurtinfo@fragomen.com.

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