“Canada is a role model we can learn from”

April 18, 2023

“Canada is a role model we can learn from”

type:
News

, Topic:
Migration

, Date:
21 March 2023

Federal ministers of the interior and labour visit Ottawa and Toronto to find out more about Canada’s immigration system.

How do companies recruit foreign skilled workers effectively, and what is the key to successful integration? On their recent trip to Canada, Federal Minister of the Interior and Community Nancy Faeser and Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Hubertus Heil sought answers to these questions. “We want to create modern immigration law that makes it easier for foreign skilled workers to come to Germany. Canada is a role model we can learn from,” Federal Minister Faeser said.

Canada as a country of immigration

Canada has successfully recruited foreign skilled workers for decades: each year for the past 20 years, at least one per cent of the Canadian population has consisted of new immigrants from other countries. In relation to its total population, Canada has the highest percentage of immigrant workers and professionals in the world.

During their visit to Canada, Federal Minister Faeser and Federal Minister Heil spoke with their counterparts responsible for labour market policy, immigration and public security; with regional government officials; with representatives of the immigration authority; and with an agency offering services for immigrants. The federal ministers also visited Siemens Healthineers and SEW-EURODRIVE, two companies which for years have successfully integrated qualified skilled workers and high-potential professionals from around the world.

Simple procedures, security and a welcoming culture

At Siemens Healthineers’ Canadian location, some 80 per cent of employees are immigrants. Some of them told the federal ministers what they believe makes Canada a successful country of immigration: simple and transparent procedures, social and public security, and above all a welcoming culture.

Making Germany a modern country of immigration

Federal Minister Faeser and Federal Minister Heil presented their draft legislation amending the Skilled Immigration Act to the Federal Cabinet, which approved it on 29 March. With the amended Act, the Federal Government hopes to modernise German immigration law and make it more family-friendly, while using digital technology to speed up the immigration process.

Because one thing is clear: Germany needs qualified skilled workers from beyond the EU. “To achieve that, we need to focus on removing bureaucratic obstacles,” Federal Minister Faeser said.

Bundesinnenministerin Nancy Faeser und Bundesarbeitsminister Hubertus Heil in Kanada im Gespräch mit Sean Fraser, dem kanadischen Minister für Einwanderung, Flüchtlinge und Staatsbürgerschaft.

Innenministerin Faeser und Arbeitsminister Heil mit dem kanadischen Minister für Einwanderung, Flüchtlinge und Staatsbürgerschaft, Sean Fraser (Mitte)