Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia citizens will enjoy privileged access to the labour market of Germany from June 1, 2024, under the Western Balkans Regulation.
This is because Germany has decided to double the number of visas that will be granted to nationals of these six countries for work purposes annually to 50,000, .
From June 2024, the annual quota will be increased to 50,000 issued approvals from the Federal Labor Agency.
The regulation for the Western Balkan countries was limited until the end of 2023. However, following the development of the new Skilled Immigration Act, Germany has decided to change the rules for these nationalities.
As the German Embassy has explained, the new rules will be shared in due course, and until then, all appointments will continue to be allocated through the lottery system.
Following the decision to increase the number of visas granted to workers from the Western Balkans under the Western Balkans Regulation, SchengenVisaInfo has contacted the German authorities to learn more about the new rules that will start applying. However, we are still waiting for an official statement on the matter.
The Next Registration for an Appointment List Opens on May 7
Nationals of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia are permitted to enter Germany for work purposes on the basis of Western Balkans Regulation.
However, since the interest among these nationalities in obtaining work visas to Germany has been high since the regulation entered into force, Germany has been granting visa appointments based on luck.
The German authorities have established a monthly lottery drawing system that randomly selects individuals from the six countries who will be permitted to make an appointment to submit their visa applications.
The next registration for an appointment for a work visa to Germany under the Western Balkans Regulation will open this Wednesday, May 7, 2024, and it will close after a week, on May 14, 2024.
During this seven-day period, everyone from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia can register, and there is no need to complete the registration process through intermediaries or other agencies as it is simple.
Applicants must keep in mind that they are permitted to register only once. Moreover, they cannot make subsequent changes to the data, and they are also not allowed to transfer their appointment to another person.
Those who are picked up by the lottery system are notified by the German authorities, and they will then be able to undergo the visa application process.
76,000 Western Balkan Workers Were Employed in Germany at the End of 2023
On the basis of the Western Balkans Regulation, data shows that around 76,000 nationals of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia were holding permits in Germany at the end of 2023.
This represented a 22 per cent increase compared to 2022 when Germany had around 62,000 workers holding permits from these countries.
According to the German Federal Statistical Office, Destatis, Kosovo nationals made up the largest group of workers in Germany under this regulation at the end of 2023.
With 20,000, Kosovo nationals made up the largest group.
By the end of this year, Germany is also expected to register a high number of workers from the Western Balkan countries under the same regulation, which has been made permanent by the new Skilled Immigration Act.