Germany immigration guide
A route built for skilled professionals — one for people who already have a job offer, and one for people who want to search for work in person.
Germany runs two main doors for skilled non-EU workers. The EU Blue Card is for people who already have a qualifying job offer, and leads toward permanent settlement. The Opportunity Card works differently: it lets someone enter the country to search for work in person, then switch onto a work-based permit once they have an offer. Both routes lean heavily on recognised qualifications — a foreign degree or vocational certificate usually needs to be checked against the German equivalent before either door opens.
Pick a route, see the real commitment
Every figure below is what Immimaps has verified for that route against Germany's official programme rules — not a marketing minimum.
For people who already have a signed job offer at or above the qualifying salary line — the direct route for skilled professionals with employer sponsorship in hand.
Check a proposal for this routeFor people without a job offer yet who want to move to Germany and look for work in person, rather than applying from abroad.
Check a proposal for this routeThe order EU Blue Card follows
- 2026-01-01The monthly proof-of-funds amount required for the Opportunity Card rose to €1,091 for 2026, up from €1,027 the year before. The figure is reset annually and covers living costs for the length of the search period. source
Upload it and Immimaps checks it clause-by-clause against what Germany's official programme rules actually require.
Check my documentCountry Analysis lays out policy stability, financial exposure and process risk across all of Germany's programmes side by side.
Open Country AnalysisProposal or Contract
Fees, process steps, and terms — checked against Germany's program rules
Every figure on this page is checked against Germany's official immigration sources. Immimaps does not publish success rates, approval odds or any probability score — here or anywhere else.
Don’t take a life-changing move on someone else’s word.
Immimaps is not an agency and takes no placement fees. We show the real figures on every route, show the working, and tell you what it actually costs.
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