According to the Institute for Employment Research, around 1.82 million concrete job vacancies in Germany could not be filled in the third quarter. According to Andrea Nahles, Chairwoman of the Federal Employment Agency, the German economy needs an additional 400,000 workers every year. Due to demographic change, there is “no scenario in which we can manage without greater immigration”, she told the Sรผddeutsche Zeitung. The governing coalition is now presenting its plans to further facilitate the immigration of skilled workers in a “key points paper”. According to the paper, a points system based on the Canadian model (“opportunity card”) is planned, which would enable immigration on a probationary basis with existing training or professional experience. It should also be possible for professional qualifications to be recognized after entry. It is to be hoped that the most pressing practical problems of bureaucratic hurdles, lack of digitalization and long processing times will also be tackled with determination.