At a labour-co-operation forum in Leipzig on 9 December, senior officials from Vietnam’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Germany’s Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) agreed to deepen recruitment programmes that bring Vietnamese technicians, nurses and IT specialists to Germany. Deputy Minister Vu Chien Thang called the partnership “strategically complementary”: Vietnam has a young, skills-hungry workforce while Germany faces demographic shrinkage and 1.8 million unfilled vacancies.
The forum coincided with the second stage of Germany’s Skilled Immigration Act, which from 2024 allows vocational-qualification recognition to begin after arrival and doubles the Western Balkans quota. BMAS State Secretary Leonie Gebers promised streamlined recognition for Vietnamese diplomas and co-funding of B1–B2 German-language training in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.
Prospective migrants navigating Germany’s updated Skilled Immigration Act can simplify the paperwork by using VisaHQ’s end-to-end visa facilitation platform. From securing appointments at German missions in Vietnam to real-time status tracking and document checks for the fast-track procedure, VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) helps technicians, nurses and IT specialists submit error-free applications and avoid costly delays.
![Vietnam–Germany forum maps faster pathways for skilled-worker mobility]()
German employers are keen. Thuringia’s metal-engineering cluster signed an MoU to take 500 Vietnamese apprentices annually, while two university hospitals said they would recruit 300 nurses under the new qualification partnership track. Cost-sharing and fair-recruitment standards were hot topics: both governments endorsed a “no fee to workers” principle and digital matching platforms to cut out brokers who currently charge up to €8 000 per placement.
For mobility managers the message is clear: Vietnam is set to become a priority talent source alongside India and the Western Balkans. Companies intending to use the new Opportunity Card for job-seeking stays should reserve language-school seats early; Hanoi test centres report full bookings three months in advance. Employers must also budget for accelerated visa processing fees—around €411 per case under the fast-track procedure.
The two sides will meet again in June 2026 to review progress and may pilot a circular-migration scheme allowing Vietnamese workers to gain experience in Germany for up to five years before returning home with a guaranteed job offer.
The forum coincided with the second stage of Germany’s Skilled Immigration Act, which from 2024 allows vocational-qualification recognition to begin after arrival and doubles the Western Balkans quota. BMAS State Secretary Leonie Gebers promised streamlined recognition for Vietnamese diplomas and co-funding of B1–B2 German-language training in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.
Prospective migrants navigating Germany’s updated Skilled Immigration Act can simplify the paperwork by using VisaHQ’s end-to-end visa facilitation platform. From securing appointments at German missions in Vietnam to real-time status tracking and document checks for the fast-track procedure, VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) helps technicians, nurses and IT specialists submit error-free applications and avoid costly delays.
German employers are keen. Thuringia’s metal-engineering cluster signed an MoU to take 500 Vietnamese apprentices annually, while two university hospitals said they would recruit 300 nurses under the new qualification partnership track. Cost-sharing and fair-recruitment standards were hot topics: both governments endorsed a “no fee to workers” principle and digital matching platforms to cut out brokers who currently charge up to €8 000 per placement.
For mobility managers the message is clear: Vietnam is set to become a priority talent source alongside India and the Western Balkans. Companies intending to use the new Opportunity Card for job-seeking stays should reserve language-school seats early; Hanoi test centres report full bookings three months in advance. Employers must also budget for accelerated visa processing fees—around €411 per case under the fast-track procedure.
The two sides will meet again in June 2026 to review progress and may pilot a circular-migration scheme allowing Vietnamese workers to gain experience in Germany for up to five years before returning home with a guaranteed job offer.
