Since the joint recording of recognition procedures governed by both federal and state law began in 2016, the number of recognitions has steadily increased, more than tripling from 26,200 in 2016
Turkey remained the leading country of qualification origin with 9,200 recognitions in 2024, followed by Ukraine, which saw a significant rise, moving from 7th place in 2023 to 2nd with 6,400 recognitions
The vast majority – 87 percent – of successful applicants in 2024 obtained their professional qualifications in third-party countries outside of the European Economic Area (EEA, consisting of the EU-27 plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, with Switzerland included) The accelerated procedure for skilled workers introduced with the Skilled Immigration Act facilitated the recognition of 4,900 professional qualifications from third-party countries Women accounted for 59 percent of the approved applications, while men comprised 41 percent Of the recognized qualifications, 83 percent fell under federal regulations and 17 percent under state regulations
Alongside Turkey, with approximately 2,600 additional recognitions totaling 9,200, Ukraine saw the largest increase Recognition of qualifications from Tunisia (5,300), India (4,900) and Syria (4,300) were also prevalent However, approvals from Bosnia and Herzegovina (4,000) and the Philippines (3,600) decreased, dropping from 2nd and 3rd place in the previous year to 6th and 7th respectively
The top 5 most frequently recognized professions remained largely unchanged year-on-year Registered nurses (including former qualifications like health and pediatric nurses) continue to lead with 32,500 recognitions, representing 41 percent of all recognized qualifications – an increase of 19 percent (+5,200) compared to the previous year Physicians ranked second with 11,000 recognitions (14 percent), followed by engineers with 4,400 (5 percent) Teachers (2,800; 4 percent) and physiotherapists (2,200; 28 percent) completed the top five Early childhood educators also saw an increase, rising from 1,700 recognitions in 2023 to 2,100 in 2024, representing 27 percent of all recognitions
The overall number of applications for recognition of foreign professional qualifications reached a new high in 2024, with approximately 95,500 procedures recorded, more than doubling from the 38,000 recorded in 2016 Of these procedures, around 81,900 (86 percent) were concluded in 2024, with 97 percent receiving a positive decision and only 3 percent being rejected Approximately 71,000 procedures (74 percent) were based on new applications submitted in 2024
Around 80 percent of all recognition procedures in 2024 concerned federally regulated professions, while 20 percent involved state-regulated professions Registered nurses are typically regulated at the federal level, while professions like engineers or teachers are regulated at the state level The distinction between regulated and unregulated professions also plays a role in the recognition process Regulated professions are subject to legal regulations and require proof of specific qualifications, whereas unregulated professions are subject to fewer formal requirements and can be practiced without state recognition, although official recognition can improve job prospects
