Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) quietly released its annual Monitoring Report on Education and Employment Migration late on 12 November 2025.
The 120-page document shows that first-time residence permits for employment purposes fell slightly to about 120,200 in 2024, but officials stress that the decline is largely statistical: many permits previously counted as “employment” migrated into new categories created by the Skilled Immigration Act 2.0, such as the Opportunity Card and Recognition Partnership. In other words, the talent pipeline did not shrink—the labels changed.
![BAMF publishes 2024 Migration Report, signals shift toward new German skilled-worker pathways]()
Behind the headline numbers, two trends stand out. First, German companies made far greater use of in-country talent already holding study or job-seeker visas: nearly a third of all work permits were issued to graduates of German universities. Second, the Western Balkans quota—doubled to 50,000 in 2024—was completely exhausted for Serbia, Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina by August, underlining the region’s importance for entry-level vacancies.
For employers, the report confirms that the forthcoming “Opportunity Card” points system and the June 2024 salary-threshold drop are already broadening the talent pool. Yet BAMF warns that complex recognition rules and slow visa posts still hamper growth: the average processing time for skilled-worker visas remained 11 weeks, rising to 17 weeks for healthcare roles that require licensing.
Global-mobility managers should watch two administrative fixes now under way. First, the Foreign Office will switch to a fully digital D-visa file in Q1 2026, allowing consulates to preload data directly into alien-registration databases. Second, BAMF will pilot an “Express Approval” interface with the Federal Employment Agency that promises decisions in five working days for pre-vetted employers. If both measures deliver, the report suggests Germany could comfortably surpass 150,000 new skilled arrivals in 2026.
The 120-page document shows that first-time residence permits for employment purposes fell slightly to about 120,200 in 2024, but officials stress that the decline is largely statistical: many permits previously counted as “employment” migrated into new categories created by the Skilled Immigration Act 2.0, such as the Opportunity Card and Recognition Partnership. In other words, the talent pipeline did not shrink—the labels changed.
Behind the headline numbers, two trends stand out. First, German companies made far greater use of in-country talent already holding study or job-seeker visas: nearly a third of all work permits were issued to graduates of German universities. Second, the Western Balkans quota—doubled to 50,000 in 2024—was completely exhausted for Serbia, Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina by August, underlining the region’s importance for entry-level vacancies.
For employers, the report confirms that the forthcoming “Opportunity Card” points system and the June 2024 salary-threshold drop are already broadening the talent pool. Yet BAMF warns that complex recognition rules and slow visa posts still hamper growth: the average processing time for skilled-worker visas remained 11 weeks, rising to 17 weeks for healthcare roles that require licensing.
Global-mobility managers should watch two administrative fixes now under way. First, the Foreign Office will switch to a fully digital D-visa file in Q1 2026, allowing consulates to preload data directly into alien-registration databases. Second, BAMF will pilot an “Express Approval” interface with the Federal Employment Agency that promises decisions in five working days for pre-vetted employers. If both measures deliver, the report suggests Germany could comfortably surpass 150,000 new skilled arrivals in 2026.
