On 1 November 2025, the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency) published a revised positive list under § 6 of the Beschäftigungsverordnung (BeschV), adding 24 new shortage occupations.
What the positive list does
Occupations on the positive list are exempt from the standard Vorrangprüfung (labour-market priority check), which tests whether a German or EU citizen is available to fill a role before a work permit is issued. Exemption significantly reduces processing time and administrative burden for both employer and applicant.
Sectors affected
The November 2025 revision adds roles across three primary sectors:
- Healthcare: physiotherapists, specialist nurses (intensive care, anaesthesia), medical-technical radiologists
- Information technology: cloud architects, cybersecurity analysts, DevOps engineers, data engineers
- Skilled trades: mechatronics technicians (industrial), refrigeration and climate-control engineers, precision optical mechanics
Practical implications
Employers recruiting for newly listed roles no longer need to obtain a positive Vorrangprüfung result before the work permit application can proceed. This applies to applications under the Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz (Skilled Worker Immigration Act) as well as standard § 18 AufenthG employment permits.
Verification
The authoritative list is maintained by the Bundesagentur für Arbeit and is updated periodically. Always verify current positive-list status via the official BERUFENET database before submitting an application, as individual KldB occupation codes determine eligibility.