Easier to live and work in Germany after graduation

International students graduating from German universities can look forward to initiatives that help them secure jobs in the country from 2024 to 2028. 

Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) have partnered to launch two initiatives designed to increase the retention of international graduates and attract those with foreign degrees to live and work in Germany. 

The first is the “Promotion of International Talent for Integration into Studies and the Labour Market”, also known as FIT.

The programme will fund up to 70 projects (with a limit of one million euros per project) at eligible German universities, providing career support for international students at “various phases of their studies” with measures like:

• Preparing international students to study in Germany
• Ensuring the academic success of international students
• Increasing the employability of international students in the German labour market
• Increasing career transition support for international students

The initiatives follow after a DAAD report which revealed that Germany now stands as the third most popular study destination among non-English-speaking countries, with nearly 370,000 international students enrolled in German universities and colleges in the 2022/23 winter semester. 

A notable factor that drives these numbers can be found primarily in Germany’s decision to provide tuition-free education to international students since 2014, and the following results from a DAAD survey: 

• 91% of students found Germany to have an attractive range of university programmes and good study conditions
• 88% chose to study in the country due to the international reputation of German degrees
• 81% believe that there are good career prospects after graduation.

In a separate report, DAAD notes that about 75,000 international students begin their higher education studies in Germany each year, and only a third of those students-turned-graduates remain living and working in the country. 

It was also found that Germany anticipated a shortage of skilled workers and required more retention of professional talent from the pool of international students. 

With FIT, Germany aims to fix this shortage whilst offering international students a higher chance of securing a job upon completing their studies. 

Support for graduates of non-German universities

The second initiative targets international students with degrees from non-German institutions. It is designed to help them “adapt their qualifications to the requirements of the German labour market”. 

The “Academic Adaptation Qualification for the German Labour Market” programme, or Profi Plus for short, will support up to 25 eligible university projects with funding up to 700,000 euros each. 

Aside from additional specialised training, including job application coaching or job-related language and communication training, Profi Plus offers practical experience in companies in the respective university region, opening the doors for career entry or promotion opportunities. 

This isn’t the first time that Germany is pushing for the prospects of international students. 

In 2018, the reformed Skilled Immigration Act was passed, abolishing the priority examination clause which showed how German job applicants were given preference over foreign applicants with equal qualifications. 

The law, which was enacted in November 2023, will proceed in three stages. 

Beginning with the restructuring and widening of migration possibilities via an EU Blue Card, the entitlement to residence permits for skilled workers and removal of the link between qualification and employment, and the introduction of a job search opportunity card, to name a few.

Currently, international graduates of German universities have the right to stay in the country for 1.5 years to find work.

They are then eligible to apply for a settlement permit (permanent residence) after working in Germany for two years.