The German cabinet has agreed on the key design features of a new Work-and-Stay Agency (WSA), a one-stop digital hub that will bundle every step of the labour-migration process—from labour-market checks and visa issuance to social-security registration and relocation counseling. According to the government communiqué published on 24 November 2025, foreign professionals, trainees and job-seekers will in future upload their employment contracts, diplomas and proof of housing only once; all participating authorities will then access the files through a shared back-office system.
Berlin argues that the WSA will remove the biggest bottlenecks in Germany’s migration architecture: fragmented responsibilities and paper-based local procedures. At present, employers often wait months while foreign employees shuttle between consulates, local immigration offices and recognition bodies. By automating document sharing and status updates, the new portal promises “more efficiency, predictability and a measurable reduction in bureaucracy,” the cabinet said.
![Germany unveils ‘Work-and-Stay Agency’ to streamline skilled-worker immigration]()
Unlike earlier pilot projects, the agency will integrate the Federal Employment Agency, the newly created Federal Office for Foreign Affairs and regional recognition bodies into one digital workflow. A physical service desk is slated to open at Frankfurt Airport in mid-2026 so that travellers can clear any last-minute document problems on arrival before taking up work.
Business associations such as the Federation of German Industries (BDI) have hailed the move as “a breakthrough for talent mobility,” noting that permit delays are one of the top reasons international assignees turn down posts in Germany. Relocation providers likewise expect the shared platform to cut the number of local appointments and eliminate multiple translations of identical documents.
For global mobility managers the practical take-away is clear: once the WSA portal goes live, companies should adapt internal checklists, prepare to upload contracts in machine-readable PDF/A format and budget for only one set of certified translations. Employers with high volumes of transfers may also wish to integrate the agency’s application-programming interface (API) directly into their human-resources systems to monitor case progress in real time.
Berlin argues that the WSA will remove the biggest bottlenecks in Germany’s migration architecture: fragmented responsibilities and paper-based local procedures. At present, employers often wait months while foreign employees shuttle between consulates, local immigration offices and recognition bodies. By automating document sharing and status updates, the new portal promises “more efficiency, predictability and a measurable reduction in bureaucracy,” the cabinet said.
Unlike earlier pilot projects, the agency will integrate the Federal Employment Agency, the newly created Federal Office for Foreign Affairs and regional recognition bodies into one digital workflow. A physical service desk is slated to open at Frankfurt Airport in mid-2026 so that travellers can clear any last-minute document problems on arrival before taking up work.
Business associations such as the Federation of German Industries (BDI) have hailed the move as “a breakthrough for talent mobility,” noting that permit delays are one of the top reasons international assignees turn down posts in Germany. Relocation providers likewise expect the shared platform to cut the number of local appointments and eliminate multiple translations of identical documents.
For global mobility managers the practical take-away is clear: once the WSA portal goes live, companies should adapt internal checklists, prepare to upload contracts in machine-readable PDF/A format and budget for only one set of certified translations. Employers with high volumes of transfers may also wish to integrate the agency’s application-programming interface (API) directly into their human-resources systems to monitor case progress in real time.
