Grace Ochyng (not his real name) started the visa application process a year ago to study in Germany.
“And then the madness began with the visa,” she describes DW.
She already spoke German, but 26 -year -old Kenyan did not help navigate the cycle of German bureaucracy.
Despite having a scholarship for his studies in international relations, a student’s job was confirmed and a thick folder filled with documents, it took him two months to get the necessary visas.
“It should not happen in this way. It took a huge toll on me and on my studies. Due to the visa process, some people make it here,” he said.
Grace’s friend fled to even more obstacles in the meantime: her visa for a semester abroad got stuck in a bureaucracy, half of that semester had already gone – and the chance to study in Germany with it.
“This is not so much visa process that is too much,” Grace tells DW. “This is mostly communication. When you call the German Embassy, they do not answer. When you write an email, they do not answer. You never know your British constantly whether they are going ‘yes’ or ‘not’.”
Opportunity for foreign skilled workers behind red tape
Grace is not alone in his difficult battle against the red-tape for the foreigners of Germany: Terracea TROutelin came to Germany in 2007 as AU-Jodi.
Subsequently, she keeps the language not only with bureaucracy issues but also the language.
Finally, thesis experiences help in future trained nurses: TRUTLINN now runs a care service agency near her husband along with her husband. They employ over 20 African care workers and trainees.
“We are currently helping a group of Kenya come to Germany. We are stuck in the bureaucracy to get a visa,” she told DW.
In his experience, the noterization process takes a long time. Cultural integration and lack of housing once people reach Germany, there are such big challenges on the way.
Every year hundreds of thousands of immigrants were needed
According to a 2024 study by Bartelesman Institute, based on estimates from Germany’s Institute for Employment Research (IAB), yet, Germany needs 288,000 and 400,000 foreign skilled workers to move forward annually.
Within the immigration rate, Germany faces a lack of an important worker by 2040, which will have a significant impact on economic growth and international competition.
In April 2025, the Federal Employment Agency reported about 646,000 job vacancies, mainly in information technology, healthcare and education.
But most of those positions are still filled.
Germany wants foreign workers – or does it do it?
Since June 2024, Germany has been issuing so -called opportunity cards. It is a visa designed to allow efficient workers of the non-European Union States to enter Germany without existing work contracts, and seek employment from scratches.
The required conditions included at least two years of vocational training or university degree as well as basic German or English language skills.
It creates a digit-based system that evaluates essential professional experience, age and skills in Germany.
Since 2025, the Consular Services Portal of the German Foreign Office suggests that efficient foreign workers are allowed to apply online for visas.
The portal is believed to make the process faster and more efficient by simplifying the application process for various visa categories including opportunity cards.
Former internal minister Nancy Faer said: “We are using language skills, qualifications and experiences to attract inspired and talented people to Germany.”
However, most applicants find that the portal is still very slow.
Migration deal with Africa amid high rejection rates
Germany signed a migration deal with Kenya to attract skilled workers in 2024, especially in nursing and hospitality.
Former Chancellor Olaf Sholaz said at the time of signing that Kenya had an “incredible number of IT experts” who would benefit from training in Germany.
Kenya is the only African country so far that Germany has managed to reach out in search of a migration deal – but by the end of 2024, only 90 Kenyan Nursing workers came to Germany using this route.
Once again, the bureaucracy involved has been the main determination for many qualified applicants.
At the same time, a large part of the visa application under the deal has been dismissed between the overall high rejection rate of sub-city visa applicants in Germany.
Clara Bugger of the Left Party highlighted the issue in Bundestag in April 2025, in 2022, 7.914 student visa applications from Nigeria were refused to more than 3.400 out of visa applications, and from Ghana 8.150 to 1.972.
‘Card suitable for some’
In 2022, Germany provided a total of 50.815 visas to all Africans, of which 20.545 (40%) were intended for employment purposes, academics, highly skilled workers, trainees, AU couples and volunteers.
But from Sub-Sahara Africa, only 22,668 visas were issued, which were 7.966 (35%) for employment.
“Visa is the biggest problem,” a Khadi camera of the German-African Business Association told DW.
“The opportunity card is only for the opportunity card for some people. First one must fulfill the pre -expectations. These are criteria that do not necessarily matter to employers, but matters to the federal government.”
Getting the necessary documents required for simply visa can be problematic.
“German officials want the original documents, which are sometimes not possible. Then applicants need to prove how self-safe they are. And even though the employers will cover the cost of the applicant, sometimes this is not enough.”
A new home in Europe’s heart?
Some have repeatedly questioned whether Germany has an attractive and attractive destination for skilled workers.
“It is very relevant to consider the political atmosphere in Germany, not only how keen the government is to bring people here, but the white Germany can actually become a new house for Kenyan, Sierra Leonies or South African people,” the camera said, “We cannot ignore racism. We need a clear position here.”
For camera, so including removing language obstacles:
“In other countries, no one needs to meet some language requirements and perhaps that is why the countries are more attractive. Last year, Christian Lindner [Germany’s then-Finance Minister] What is in a university in Ghana, and asked who would want to work in Germany. Nobody put his hand. ,
Teresia Träutlein and Grace Ochieng Wowver says that in her experience, it has proved to be quite necessary to speak German to live a fully integrated life in Germans in German.
Träutlein says: “If the government wants to attract skilled workers for Germany, it needs to support German language training. Without language, no one gets much here.”
German economy calls for solution
The camera says that Germany has to feel that it is actually competing for skilled workers against other players: “The global alliance we are breaking up, and so we have to look for new partners. Many of them are on the African continent.”
For German companies such as Terracea TRUTLIN’s agency, the most important thing is to remove bureaucracy obstacles.
She and her husband are trying to simplify the process to bring new employees from Kenya and have decided to start building a private language and nursing school there.
“We are a small company, but we have a goal: we need Germany to counter unemployment in Kenya and bring these workers,” he said.
According to Träutlein, the immigration of skilled workers in Germany is eventually “win-win for all”, until the processes involved in the cuts significantly improve.
Cai Nebe optimized by German original text
Edited by: Sartar Sanderson
