Skilled Migration / Germany / Route
Germany · Skilled migration route
Work in Germany with a job offer paying €50,700 a year in 2026 (€45,934.20 in shortage jobs or as a recent graduate), and reach permanent residence in as little as 21 months.
1 to 4 months after the job offer
Last updated: 2026-10-27
Programme overviewنظرة عامة
Advising UAE residents on skilled migration from our Dubai office.
Overview
The EU Blue Card (Blaue Karte EU) is Germany's main work permit for graduates and IT specialists with a German job offer. In 2026 the job must pay at least €50,700 gross a year, or €45,934.20 in shortage occupations, for recent graduates and for IT specialists without a degree. It needs no German, has no age limit, and leads to permanent residence in 27 months, or 21 months with German at B1.
The Blue Card at a glance
| Germany EU Blue Card | |
|---|---|
| Salary (2026) | €50,700 gross a year |
| Lower salary (2026) | €45,934.20: shortage jobs, recent graduates, IT specialists without a degree |
| Qualification | Recognised degree, or 3 years' IT experience in the last 7 |
| Job offer | At least 6 months |
| Card length | Up to 4 years, renewable |
| Permanent residence | 27 months (A1 German) or 21 months (B1 German) |
| Spouse | No German needed; can work |
| German for the card | Not required |
| Fees | €75 visa, €100 Blue Card; fast-track €411 (optional) |
Who gets the lower threshold
The lower salary of €45,934.20 applies if:
- your job is in a shortage occupation: IT and communications professionals; scientists, mathematicians and engineers; doctors, dentists, pharmacists and vets; nurses and midwives; teachers; and several groups of managers;
- you graduated within the last three years; or
- you are an IT specialist without a degree, with at least three years of comparable experience in the last seven.
Getting your degree recognised
Your degree must be a German degree or a foreign degree comparable to a German one. Check the degree and the university in the anabin database (degree rated comparable, university rated H+), or apply to the ZAB (Central Office for Foreign Education) for a statement of comparability. For Indian degrees, the German missions ask for proof of regular, on-site study. Regulated professions such as medicine and nursing also need a licence to practise in Germany.
How long it takes and what it costs
| Step | Time | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Fast-track procedure, started by the employer (optional) | About 4 months in total, including recognition | €411 |
| Visa at the Consulate General in Dubai | Within 3 weeks of the appointment with fast-track; otherwise varies | €75 |
| Blue Card at the foreigners authority | After arrival and address registration | €100 |
Changing jobs and moving within the EU
You can change employer. In the first 12 months you must tell the foreigners authority before you switch; it can pause the change for 30 days while it checks that the new job still qualifies. After 12 months on a German Blue Card you can move to another EU country on its Blue Card (Denmark and Ireland do not take part), and business trips to other EU countries of up to 90 days in any 180 are allowed.
Family, permanent residence and citizenship
Your spouse can join without German and can work in Germany straight away; minor children can join too. After 27 months with A1 German, or 21 months with B1, and with pension contributions paid for those months, you can apply for a settlement permit (permanent residence). German citizenship is possible after five years of residence with B1 German.
India does not permit dual citizenship: taking German citizenship would end Indian citizenship under Section 9 of the Citizenship Act 1955. German residence and permanent residence do not.
No job offer yet?
The Germany Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) gives up to one year in Germany to find a job, with part-time work of up to 20 hours a week allowed while you search. Most Opportunity Card holders move on to the Blue Card once they have a qualifying offer.
With our Berlin partner, Nexus-Europe GmbH
For Blue Card cases where you are also setting up or joining a German company, or want to compare a job route with a business route, we work with our Berlin partner Nexus-Europe GmbH. Their Business Immigration Audit compares your options; XIPHIAS clients get a partner discount on it. Ask us for your code.
Talk to our Germany visa consultants in Dubai
XIPHIAS Immigration has advised families and businesses since 2009, and our Dubai team works with UAE residents. We were named Best Immigration Consultant by The Times of India in 2022. Our immigration consultants in Dubai will take you through the requirements, costs and timeline for your specific case.
- Book a consultation
- All Germany routes
- Verify an immigration consultant
- Second passport for UAE residents
Sources
- Make it in Germany — EU Blue Card
- Federal Employment Agency — EU Blue Card 2026
- Federal Gazette — 2026 Blue Card salary thresholds (BAnz AT 18.12.2025 B3)
- Residence Act (AufenthG), section 18g — EU Blue Card
- Residence Act (AufenthG), section 18c — settlement permit
- Federal Office for Migration and Refugees — EU Blue Card
- German Missions in the UAE — employment visa
- Make it in Germany — fast-track procedure for skilled workers
What you getالمزايا
Issued for up to four years, and renewable.
Permanent residence after 27 months with basic German (A1), or after 21 months with B1.
Your spouse can join without German and can work from day one.
No age limit and no pension rule for applicants over 45.
Change employer freely; in the first 12 months you only notify the authority.
Move to another EU country on a Blue Card after 12 months.
Investment & costsالتكاليف
Qualifying investment
National (D) visa fee
Paid at the German mission.
Blue Card issue in Germany
Paid to the foreigners authority.
Fast-track procedure (optional, paid by the employer)
The employer starts it at the foreigners authority in Germany.
Government & due-diligence fees
Figures are indicative and exclusive of professional fees. Your advisor confirms an exact, written cost breakdown for your family size.
Eligibilityالأهلية
Requirements
A German degree, or a foreign degree recognised as comparable (anabin or a ZAB statement).
Or, for IT specialists without a degree: at least three years of comparable experience in the last seven years.
A job offer or contract in Germany for at least six months.
A gross salary of at least €50,700 a year in 2026, or €45,934.20 in shortage occupations, for recent graduates and for IT specialists without a degree.
A licence to practise, where the profession is regulated (for example doctors and nurses).
Who cannot apply
A salary below the 2026 threshold that applies to you.
A degree that is not recognised as comparable, outside the IT experience route.
A contract shorter than six months.
A regulated profession without the licence to practise.
Eligible occupationsالمهن
Shortage occupations (lower salary threshold)
- ✦IT and communications professionals
- ✦Scientists, mathematicians and engineers
- ✦Doctors, dentists, pharmacists and vets
- ✦Nurses and midwives
- ✦Teachers
- ✦Managers in production, IT, health, education and other services
The processكيف نعمل
Check the degree
Look up your degree and university in anabin, or apply for a ZAB statement of comparability.
Secure the job offer
At least six months, at or above the 2026 salary threshold that applies to you.
Optional: fast-track
Your employer can start the fast-track procedure in Germany (€411) to speed up approval and the visa appointment.
Apply for the visa
Apply online through the Consular Services Portal; the Consulate General in Dubai handles UAE residents.
Arrive and register
Register your address within two weeks and apply for the Blue Card at the foreigners authority.
Bring the family
Your spouse (no German needed, can work) and minor children apply to join you.
Permanent residence
Settlement permit after 27 months with A1 German, or 21 months with B1.
Document checklistالوثائق
Identity
- ✦Valid passport
- ✦Biometric passport photographs
- ✦National visa application
Job
- ✦Signed employment contract or binding job offer (at least six months)
- ✦Job description
- ✦Employer's declaration on the employment relationship (Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis)
Qualification
- ✦Degree certificate and transcripts
- ✦anabin printout for the degree and university, or a ZAB statement of comparability
- ✦Licence to practise for regulated professions
- ✦CV; for IT specialists without a degree, proof of three years' experience
Insurance
- ✦Health insurance from the start of the stay
Your XIPHIAS advisor prepares a personalised document list at onboarding. The checklist above is indicative and may vary by family size.
Family scopeالأسرة
All eligible dependants can be included in one application or added after approval.
Age limits, dependency definitions, and addition fees vary by jurisdiction. Your advisor confirms exact rules at onboarding.
Risk notes
The salary thresholds change every January; the 2027 figures are published by 31 December 2026.
Indian degrees need proof of regular, on-site study for recognition.
Permanent residence also needs pension contributions for the qualifying months.
Taking German citizenship ends Indian citizenship.
Compliance
In the first 12 months, tell the foreigners authority before you change jobs; it can pause the change for 30 days.
Register your address in Germany within two weeks of arrival.
Questionsأسئلة شائعة
This route, answered.
€50,700 gross a year. A lower threshold of €45,934.20 applies in shortage occupations, for graduates within three years of their degree and for IT specialists without a degree. The figures change every January; the 2027 thresholds are published by 31 December 2026.
Start the Germany route.
A senior advisor will confirm the exact costs, timeline and documents for your case — privately, and entirely off the record.