Key takeaways
  • The federal cabinet adopted the plan for a Work-and-Stay Agency on 5 November 2025.
  • The core is one IT platform where skilled workers upload all documents once.
  • As of October 2026 the draft law had not been presented, and the coalition parties were pushing for it.
  • Today, you still apply through the Federal Foreign Office's online visa portal and the German mission in your country.

Slow visa processing is one of the biggest frustrations for people with a German job offer. Germany's answer is a planned Work-and-Stay Agency. Here is what has actually been decided, and what is still open.

What was decided

  • On 5 November 2025, the federal cabinet adopted the plan to build a Work-and-Stay Agency for skilled immigration (Federal Office for Foreign Affairs).
  • The core is a central IT platform where skilled workers submit all their documents digitally, as the basis for all the authorities involved.
  • The Federal Office for Foreign Affairs and the Federal Employment Agency are the main players. No completely new authority is planned.
  • About 20% of skilled worker visas are already processed centrally by the Federal Office for Foreign Affairs. The goal is 100% in the coming years.

What is still open

On 7 October 2026, the coalition parties SPD and CDU/CSU publicly called on the government to present the draft law (dts via ad-hoc-news). The open question is how much responsibility moves from the more than 500 local foreigners authorities to the federal level. The labour ministry expects decisions this autumn, and 280 million euros are planned in next year's budget. No start date has been announced.

What to use today

  • Apply for your visa online through the Federal Foreign Office consular services portal, launched in early 2025.
  • Ask your employer about the accelerated skilled worker procedure, which they can start with the foreigners authority in Germany.
  • Have your degree recognition ready before the offer comes. That alone saves weeks.

I will update this page when the draft law is published.

Sources

Written by Swapnil (Samadhan Mule)

I moved to Germany for my master's, collected more than 1,000 rejections, and then got multiple job offers within six months. I work in digital marketing in Germany and help international professionals get hired in Europe. Read my story.