Kosovars dream of working visas in Germany, nearly 10,000 visas during 2022

The start of each month finds a 26-year-old from Suhareka on the German Embassy website, applying for a working visa. He's been following this procedure for 20 months, but... without luck.

It's not just shit, but sometimes I forget to apply [first day]. Then it becomes routine. It's the specific dates when you have to apply and run the”, he says.

Once every month's first two weeks of every month is the open call for application, he says he spends about 15 minutes to complete the application.

He does not want to be identified by name, since he is employed in Kosovo, but says that even though 20 applications so far have not succeeded, he will continue to apply.

You don't get to decoupled [the lack of success in application] because... you just try your luck”, he says.

As of January 2021, Kosovars along with their neighbours in the Western Balkans won the privileged “access to the German labour market”, as reported on the German Embassy website. This, as in Germany, went into effect “Rule for the Western Balkans”, through which citizens of the countries of this region can apply for working visas, regardless of their professional qualifications.

Initially, working visa terms won anyone who managed to register first, but later the way the terms were defined changed, by drawing lots at Germany's Federal Foreign Ministry in Berlin.

Radio Free Europe asked at Germany's Embassy in Pristina what the number of requests meant to reserve the term for work visas within a month are said that such statistics are not held. However, within the year, the REL is 5,500 seats.

The German Embassy's website in Pristina reportedly replaced with the version withdrawal procedure “due to the extremely high demand for term appointment, which clearly exceeds the terms that are available”.

And while the Suhareka boy says he's surrounded by many friends and friends who went through similar stages, others have had more luck in attracting lots.

In recent years, thousands of Kosovars have received working visas for Germany. Last year alone, the number of working visas issued by the German Embassy has increased by 110 percent compared to the previous year.

Over 21,000 working visas for Germany in four years

As the number of visas issued for work in Germany was reduced in 2020, the cause of COVID-19 reached a higher figure in 2022 than before pandemic.

One of Germany's labour visa beneficiaries is Ramiz Hoxha, born in the village of Shala in Lipjan. For six years he has lived in Heilburn, Germany. For him, the visa-taking process has not been that difficult.

To get the visa, for the entire procedure I've waited three months, because then there have been less applications”, Hoxha says.

He says there are many other Albanians around him. Even the figures of Kosovars who have given up Kosovo's passport show this to take over Germany's passport.

During this year's January-June period, Kosovo's Ministry of Internal Affairs reported on about 1,500 such people.

Number of Kosovars giving up the country's passport

During the January-June period of 2023, over 1,500 people have renounced Kosovo passports. Most have done so to obtain German citizenship.

Number of people who have given up Kosovo passport over the years

Over the years, Germany has been the country for which mostly Kosovars have resigned from the country's passports.

The average salary in Kosovo is 520 euros, while in Germany it was 4.105 euros, according to official figures released in April last year.

But besides better living conditions and higher wages than in Kosovo, Freedom Krasniqi from the Germin organisation, which deals mainly with diaspora issues, believes Germany has become an attractive place for Kosovars for yet another reason.

The reason people go to Germany rather than France and other developed European Union countries is because Germany has made migration very easy from Western Balkan countries”, Krasniqi says.

He says the relief that has been done through “Rule for the Western Balkans” has come due to Germany's need for labour power and the cause of the aging of the German population.

“The procedural and bureaucratic perspective has been greatly facilitated by the German state in order to attract as many young people, especially professionals, to go integrate there and work in Germany”, Krasniqi adds.

In August of this year, the German cabinet approved plans to ease the way towards citizenship for immigrants and allow more people to have dual citizenship.

Under the proposed new rules, which still must be approved by parliament, naturalisation in Germany would be possible after five years, instead of eight years of present.

According to the Kosovo Statistics Agency, most immigrants from Kosovo in recent years have been legal and have left for family reunion, job findings or long-term studies.

In all, about 15 percent of visas issued by the German Embassy in Kosovo in 2022 were working visas, the majority were travel visas to the Schengen area.

Visas released by Germany Embassy in Kosovo

During 2022, the German Embassy in Kosovo has issued over 9,300 working visas for Kosovo citizens.

Visits released by Germany for Western Balkan residents

During 2022, Kosovo was the third country from the Western Balkans, with mostly residents receiving working visas for Germany. For children's migration and family reunion, Kosovo was ranked first.

By January 1st, 2024, Kosovars will be able to travel without visas to Schengen area countries for tourist visits, family issues or similar ones. However, this permit does not involve work permits.