Albanian asylum seekers may soon be allowed to work in Germany, this is the plan being discussed

The overwhelming share of asylum seekers from the Balkans essentially come to Germany for economic reasons. This is a violation of asylum rights and capacity jams for those who are truly persecuted.

These statements of politicians and experts have long accompanied demands for asylum by the Balkan states. To curb the abuse of asylum for economic reasons, Germany declared Balkan states Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo safe countries of origin in October 2015.

This means that asylum demands by citizens of these countries are being rejected very quickly -- the goal is within a week -- as undisputedly clear.

It's been three years since. A large portion of asylum seekers rejected from these countries have returned home -- many have voluntarily, others under compulsion. Restitutions continue.

But another part of rejected asylum seekers has already found work, learned German, and feeds themselves. Overall, the German labour market integrated even better than expected refugees coming in 2015: 1 out of 4 works today and pays social insurance.

This is the situation when the new German government claims that Germany will also draft a qualified labour law by the end of the year.

At the desks of government officials, warnings from businesses and the economy with alarming tones: lack of qualified employees is so great that it can seriously damage the German economy.

Dramatic is the lack of employees especially in nursing professions and care for the elderly. For 50,000 jobs in this sector, workers cannot be found.

In this situation, the new energetic minister of health, Jens Spahn, returns his eyes to third states in early July 2018 outside the European Union. He declares the newspaper ėBild am Sonntagı that especially in Kosovo and Albania there is great potential of qualified young workers.

There's often better qualifications than we think, Spahn declares. All of a sudden, this minister's proposal does not come -- with a special programme, the German government allows citizens from six Balkan states to have legitimate employment in Germany, mainly in the professions in need in Germany.

Evolution of a summer concept or discussion?

This is the situation when an opportunity previously viewed as taboo in Germany from July: that asylum seekers refused from many countries legally return to economic immigrants. The prime minister of Schleswig-Holsteinland, from the CLU, Daniel Gunther, claims we can't seek service and nurses in Kosovo... but bring back the people who are here and speak German.

He says it is a fact that in municipalities there are well integrated families but that are ahead of deportation.

Young, it's the voices from the CDU, Social Democrats have always supported a more liberal attitude towards job seekers. Similar positions are held by opposition, Gelbri and Liberal Democrats.

So it seems consistent even now, as part of the government, Social Democrat Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, from the most important ministers in the German government, to declare the newspaper ėld am Sontagʹ that it does not make sense to expel well integrated people who work and earn a living. And Minister of Labour Social Democrat Hubert Hale says we should not expel the wrong ones.

However: Social Democrats, their ministers, are the smaller, invited partner of the federal government. The parliamentary elections last year have won the CSU CSU, which also has the Chancellor. And in the leadership of the CDU asylum, the asylum is clearly seen as being separated from migration.

Asked in the summer interview, Chancellor Merkel expresses fears that a false signal may be sent so that people can come and seek asylum in the hope of working. An intermediate position has been taken by Economy Minister Peter Altmayer (CDU), former chief of Chancellorship.

He says there is no hurry to turn asylum seekers rejected into economic immigrants. Even now asylum seekers are allowed to work after a short time and start a schooling. Then they have the guarantee to stay in Germany for two years, recalls Altmaier.

What asylum seekers can become immigrants?

Supporters of the idea of converting asylum seekers to economic immigrants also explain the boundaries of image. Acceptable, they consider asylum seekers rejected, learned German, and qualified. Or they also have jobs.

So the idea is to be allowed to change the rules of procedures, from asylum seekers to immigrants, those who meet conditions like any foreign employee not from the EU, coming to Germany specifically for work.

For this not to attract others to come to Germany, it is proposed that those rejected asylum seekers be discussed who have arrived until a certain date in Germany. For example, until the government deals with the migration bill.

Land of Zara (Saarland) Prime Minister Tobias Hans proposed this. Others propose August 1st 2018.

German Lands General in Support

Representatives of countries that have been expressed support the transition of old asylum seekers rejected into economic immigrants. Supporting is not only the smallest of Zara's and Schleswig-Holstein's, but also the big South Lakes, where unemployment is small, 1 to 2 percent.

Bravaria's Interior Minister, Joachim Herrmann (CSU), said he better protects from asylum seekers who are rejected but who conduct schooling in care professions.

Bravaria's government has given instructions to the offices of the foreign offices of Bravaria not to be expelled from denied prospectors who have performed or are performing qualifications for sanitation and care.

Whatever the case: until now, the return of asylum seekers rejected into economic immigrants has not been submitted as formal proposal for approval. The elements of the German migration bill, which presented the interior ministry, the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Economy of Germany in mid-month, do not include access to asylum procedure migration.

But support for this proposal is growing due to the need: 1.2 million jobs are currently empty to the German economy. Even if these numbers of unemployed Germans are corrected, there are still 440,000 jobs without employees. Employers especially require small enterprises and artisans. And hospitals and nursing homes.

/Mare by DW