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In brief
In a recognition partnership the skilled worker enters Germany before the qualification is recognised and completes the procedure here. Company and skilled worker agree that recognition will be applied for and that the company will make it possible to make up differences. The detailed conditions, for example on the qualification and German skills, are set out by the mission abroad and the foreigners authority.
The idea
Normally recognition comes before entry. The skilled worker applies from the country of origin, waits for the decision and then applies for the visa. If differences remain, they have to be made up first.
The recognition partnership partly reverses this order. The skilled worker enters with an employment contract and works in the company. The recognition procedure starts or continues in Germany.
The thinking behind it is simple. Many differences are best made up in the company. The skilled worker learns there what is still missing.
For the company this means it brings a skilled worker in earlier, but it also takes on responsibility for the rest of the route.
Who the route suits
The route suits occupations in which differences can be made up well in the company. That applies to many vocational occupations in crafts, industry and nursing.
It also suits companies with experience in instructing people. Anyone who trains apprentices or regularly inducts new staff already has the necessary routines.
The route is less suitable when the differences are very large or the company cannot cover the missing content. Then a course outside the company is often needed. Clarify this early with the responsible office.
What company and skilled worker agree
At the heart of the partnership is an agreement between the company and the skilled worker. In it, the skilled worker undertakes to apply for recognition after entry. The company undertakes to make it possible to make up the differences.
The agreement is part of the visa papers. The mission abroad checks it together with the employment contract. The official bodies publish forms and guidance for it.
Also record in the agreement who carries which costs. Fees, courses and time off are frequent points of dispute if they are left open.
Conditions in general
The recognition partnership is not open to everyone. The law sets conditions. The following appear in almost every case, and the offices state the details.
- A vocational qualification or degree recognised by the state in the country of origin
- An employment contract for a job in Germany
- German skills at the level set by the offices
- The agreement between company and skilled worker
- A company that is able to make it possible to make up differences
The company's duties
A company entering a recognition partnership takes on more than the duties of an ordinary employer. It has to genuinely open the way to recognition for the skilled worker.
This includes time for the course, classes and examination. It includes a person in the company who instructs and records the progress. And it includes duties in which the missing content actually comes up.
Check honestly before you sign whether your company can deliver this. A partnership that gets lost in day-to-day work harms the skilled worker and, in the end, the company too.
Many companies involve their trainers. Anyone who already supports apprentices knows the task in principle.
The steps after entry
After entry, the skilled worker applies for recognition at the responsible office, unless this has already happened. The office assesses the qualification and states in its decision what is missing.
The compensation follows, usually through training in the company. In regulated professions an examination may be part of it. Once the compensation is done, the office confirms equivalence.
With recognition, the skilled worker can switch to a residence permit as a skilled worker. The foreigners authority handles this step. Book the appointment there in good time before the current permit expires.
Throughout, the skilled worker is employed in the company. Which duties they may carry out until recognition depends on the occupation.
Limits
The recognition partnership is not a way around recognition. Equivalence has to be established in the end. If the compensation fails, this has consequences for the right of residence.
Additional rules apply in regulated professions. In nursing, for example, a person may only work as a qualified nurse once authorised. Until then, only work below that level is possible, as far as the permit allows it.
Whether the partnership fits the individual case is decided by the mission abroad and the foreigners authority. Clarify this before the employment contract is signed.
Frequently asked questions
Does the qualification have to be assessed before entry?
No, that is precisely the point of the partnership. The qualification must, however, be recognised by the state in the country of origin. The official bodies set out the details.
What German skills does the skilled worker need?
The offices set the level. The mission abroad will tell you which proof is required.
What does the company have to provide?
It makes it possible to make up differences, for example through time, instruction and suitable duties. This is set out in the agreement with the skilled worker.
Does the partnership apply to nursing as well?
Yes, in principle. Until authorisation, however, the person may not work as a qualified nurse. The responsible office will tell you what is allowed until then.
What happens if the compensation fails?
It has consequences for the right of residence, because equivalence has to be established in the end. The foreigners authority will tell you what that means in the individual case.
- For Employers How Regalis works with employers: capture requirements, present candidates, coordinate entry and the start of work. Direct employment, no staff leasing.