Phase 3 of the Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz reform, which entered into force on 1 June 2024, introduced § 20b AufenthG: the Anerkennungspartnerschaft (recognition partnership).
The previous bottleneck
Until June 2024, non-EU nationals in regulated and many non-regulated professions were required to obtain full recognition of their foreign qualification — a process that typically takes 4 to 12 months — before they could apply for a German work permit. This meant waiting abroad, often unemployed, for a purely administrative procedure to conclude.
What the Anerkennungspartnerschaft changes
Under § 20b AufenthG, a skilled worker can now enter Germany and take up employment with a German employer before the recognition procedure is complete, provided three conditions are met:
- The employer commits in writing to support and co-fund the recognition procedure during the employment relationship.
- The applicant holds a foreign qualification that is, in principle, comparable to a German reference occupation.
- The work performed during the recognition phase corresponds to the field of the qualification.
Scope
The Anerkennungspartnerschaft applies to both regulated professions (e.g. nursing, engineering in certain Länder) and non-regulated occupations. It is distinct from the standard Fachkräftevisum under § 18a/18b AufenthG, which continues to require prior recognition.
Potenzialregel (§ 19c Abs. 3 AufenthG)
Also introduced on 1 June 2024, the Potenzialregel creates an additional pathway for applicants who meet most — but not all — standard criteria. It grants a discretionary permit for cases with clear integration potential, to be assessed on an individual basis by the responsible Ausländerbehörde.
Practical relevance
For applicants in healthcare, engineering, and skilled trades, the Anerkennungspartnerschaft can compress the total time-to-employment by several months and removes the financial burden of waiting abroad during the recognition process.