German bid to lure foreign professionals a flop

A programme to attract foreign professionals has flopped in Germany, drawing just 139 people since it was introduced in August, a newspaper reported Suunday citing official figures The Welt am Sonntag said that the "Blue Card" for skilled employees from outside the European Union had proved far less appealing than hoped, in part due to Germany's image as overly bureaucratic and unwelcoming to foreigners.
The report, which quoted figures provided by the Federal Office for Migration, found that of the 139 Blue Cards issued, 112 went to foreigners living in Germany before 2012 and thus already holding other work permits.
"The mass influx of skilled labour has not materialised," said the managing director of a board of experts from German foundations on integration and migration, Gunilla Fincke.
She said Germany had an international reputation as inhospitable to newcomers even though it had liberalised its immigration laws over the last several years.
"Germany is seen as unattractive and is also challenging because of the language," she told the newspaper.
The president of the German Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Hans Heinrich Driftmann, said the Blue Card had failed to eliminate key hurdles for sought-after foreign professionals.
"German immigration law is still complicated and not very transparent for foreign skilled employees," he told Welt am Sonntag, echoing frequent complaints by German business leaders.
He said Germany needed to do a better job promoting the country abroad as an attractive place to work and study.
Since August 1, qualified foreign professionals from non-EU countries can apply for a Blue Card if they have a job offer that will see them earn a salary of 44,800 euros ($57,100) or more.
The salary minimum is lower, 34,944 euros, if the applicant works in a field that has registered a lack of skilled labour. The policy also lifted some work restrictions for foreign students, and granted them 18 months after they complete their studies to find a job in Germany, up from one year previously.