You can obtain a residence permit for the recognition of your foreign professional qualifications if you have been placed in a job through an agreement between the Federal Employment Agency and the employment services of your country of origin. In the health and nursing care sector, one such agreement is, for example, the "Triple Win" program for placing nursing staff.
You do not need to initiate the recognition process in Germany before receiving your residence permit. You can also begin the recognition process after your arrival in Germany. The necessary procedure is regulated in the placement agreement. The Federal Employment Agency ensures that applicants pre-selected under the placement agreement are recruited from countries with adequate training standards.
The Federal Employment Agency must have approved the employment in the intended professional field. The Federal Employment Agency’s approval is granted for a limited period of one year. You can extend the approval for work
- in regulated professions in the health and care sector and
- in other selected regulated and non-regulated professions
.
Regulated professions are those for which you must acquire specific professional qualifications. This is the case, for example, for doctors, architects, and pharmacists. You can find out whether your profession is regulated in Germany, which laws govern it, and which authority you must contact to have your qualifications assessed on the information portal “Recognition in Germany.”
The Federal Employment Agency approves the employment if the work is related to the professional knowledge of the occupation for which you wish to have your qualifications recognized after entering the country. A professional connection exists, for example, if you wish to have your qualifications as a pediatric nurse recognized and intend to work as a nursing assistant during the recognition process.
You must also submit a declaration stating that, after entering the country, you will complete the procedure to determine equivalence or, for regulated professions, to obtain a license to practice.
The residence permit entitles you to work up to 20 hours per week in a job unrelated to the professional qualification to be recognized.
There are no notes or special features.
The immigration office responsible for the applicant's place of residence
