Grace Ochieng (not her real name) began the visa application process a year ago to come study in Germany.

"And then the insanity with the visa started," she tells DW.

She already spoke German but that did not help the 26-year-old Kenyan navigate the maze of German bureaucracy.

Despite holding a scholarship for her studies in International Relations, a student job confirmed and a thick folder full of documents, it took two months for her to get the necessary visa.

"It should not be this way. It took an enormous toll on me and the start of my studies. Because of the visa process, some people don't make it here," she said.

Grace's friend meanwhile ran into even bigger hurdles: her visa for a semester abroad got stuck in a bureaucratic quagmire until half of that semester was already gone ? and with it the chance to study in Germany.

"It's not so much the visa process that is so exhausting," Grace tells DW. "It's mostly the communication. When you call the German embassy, they don't answer. When you write emails, they don't reply. You're constantly holding your breath because you never know if they are going to say 'yes' or 'no.'"

Opportunities for foreign skilled workers behind red tape

Grace is not alone in her uphill battle against Germany's red-tape for foreigners: Teresia Tr?utlein came to Germany in 2007 as an au-pair.

Back then, she didn't only have to put up with fighting with bureaucratic issues but also the language itself.

In the end, these experiences would however end up helping the trained nurse in the future: Tr?utlein now runs a care service agency near Heidelberg along with her husband. They employ over 20 African care workers and trainees.

"We are currently helping a group from Kenya come to Germany. We're stuck because of the bureaucracy involved for getting the visa," she told DW.

In her experience, the notarization process takes unduly long. Cultural integration and a lack of housing once people get to Germany are also major challenges along the way.

Hundreds of thousands of immigrants needed each year

Neverthelss, Germany still needs between 288,000 and 400,000 foreign skilled workers to move there yearly, according to a 2024 study by the Bertelsmann Institute based on estimates from Germany's Institute for Employment Research (IAB).

Without this rate of immigration, Germany faces a significant worker shortage by 2040, which would have considerable negative impacts on economic growth and international competitiveness.

In April 2025, the Federal Employment Agency reported around 646,000 job vacancies, primarily in Information Technology, healthcare and education.

But most of those positions are yet to be filled.

Germany wants foreign workers ? or does it?

Since June 2024, Germany has been issuing the so-called Opportunity Card. This is a visa designed to allow skilled workers from non-European Union states to come in Germany without an existing work contract, and seek employment from scratch.

The prerequisites include at least two years of vocational training or a university degree as well as basic German or English language skills.

It builds on a points-based system that also evaluates professional experience, age and skills needed in Germany.

Since 2025, the German Foreign Office's reveamped Consular Services Portal allows skilled foreign workers to apply online for a visa.

The portal is supposed make the process faster and more efficient by simplifying the application process for different visa categories, including the Opportunity Card.

Former Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said: "We are using language skills, qualifications and experience, to attract motivated and talented people to Germany."

However, most applicants find that the portal is still too slow.

Migration deals with Africa amid high rejection rates

Germany also signed a migration deal with Kenya in 2024 to attract skilled workers, especially in nursing and hospitality.

Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at the time of the signing that Kenya had an "unbelievable number of IT experts" who would benefit from training in Germany.

Kenya is so far the only African country with which Germany has managed to reach such a migration deal ? but as of late 2024, only 90 Kenyan nursing workers had come to Germany using this route.

Once again, the bureaucracy involved has been the chief deterrent for many qualified applicants.

At the same time, a sizable portion of visa applications under the deal have been rejected amid an overall high rejection rate of sub-Saharan visa applicants to Germany.

Clara B?nger of the The Left Party raised this issue in the Bundestag, in April 2025, highlighting that in 2022, over 3,400 of 7,914 student visa applications from Nigeria, and 1,972 from 8,150 from Ghana, were denied.

'Opportuniy Card for some'

In 2022, Germany granted a total 50,815 visas to all Africans, of which 20,545 (40%) were for intended for employment purposes, including academics, highly skilled workers, interns, au pairs and volunteers.

But from Sub-Saharan Africa along, only 22,668 visas were issued, of which 7,966 (35%) were for employment.

"The visa is the biggest problem," Khadi Camara from the German-African Business Association told DW.

"The Opportunity Card is only an Opportunity Card for some people. One first has to fulfill the prerequisites. These are criteria that do not necessarily matter to employers, but do matter to the federal government."

Just getting the necessary documents required for a visa can also be problematic.

"German officials want original documents, which sometimes is just not possible. Then applicants need to prove how self-sufficient they are. And even if the would-be employers cover the applicant's costs, sometimes even that is not considered enough."

A new home in the heart of Europe?

Some meanwhile have repeatedly questioned whether Germany has what it takes to become and attractive destination for skilled workers.

"It's very relevant to consider the political climate in Germany, not only taking into account how eager the government is to bring people here but also whether Germany can indeeed become a new home for Kenyans, Ghanaians, Sierra Leonians or South Africans," Camara said, adding that "we cannot ignore racism. The German government needs to take a clear position that people are welcome here."

For Camara, that also includes removing language barriers:

"In other countries, one does not have to fulfill certain language requirements and that's probably why those countries are more attractive. Last year, Christian Lindner [Germany's then-Finance Minister] was in Ghana at a university there, and asked who would want to come work in Germany. No one raised their hand."

Teresia Tr?utlein and Grace Ochieng however say that in their experience, speaking German has proven to be quite necessary to lead a fully integrated life in Germany.

Tr?utlein adds: "If the government wants to attract skilled workers to Germany, then it needs to support German language training abroad. Without the language, one does not get very far here."

German economy calls for solutions

Camara says Germany has to realize that it is, in fact, competing for skilled workers against other players: "Global alliances are breaking down as we speak, and so we have to look for new partners. Many of them are on the African continent."

For German companies like Teresia Tr?utlein's agency, the most important thing is that bureaucratic hurdles be removed.

She and her husband are trying to simplify the process to bring over 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 one goal: to combat unemployment in Kenya and bring these workers we need to Germany," she said.

According to Tr?utlein, the immigration of skilled workers to Germany is ultimately a "win-win situation for everyone involved" ? as long as the processes involved in making the cut improve significantly. (DW)

Update news