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Shortage occupations get a lower salary bar

Germany
EU Blue Card

A job offer from a German employer and a salary from €45,934/year (shortage occupation) or €50,700/year (general track). Permanent residence is available after just 27 months.

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Salary from
€45,934/yr
Permanent residence after
27 months
With German B1
21 months to PR
Stay requirement
continuous

General track or shortage occupation

The threshold depends on whether the role is on the official shortage-occupation list — that alone saves almost €5,000/year off the entry bar.

TRACK
SALARY
WHAT TO KNOW
Shortage occupation
SALARYfrom €45,934.20/yr
IT, engineering, natural sciences, mathematics, medicine, pharmacy and some skilled technical trades.
General track
SALARYfrom €50,700/yr
50% of the pension-insurance contribution assessment ceiling (Beitragsbemessungsgrenze) — applies if the role is not on the shortage list.
Recent graduates / IT specialists without a degree
SALARYthe same threshold as the role
Graduates with a degree no older than 3 years, and qualified IT specialists without a formal degree, qualify under relaxed criteria.

What the process consists of

The salary threshold is updated every year alongside the pension-insurance ceiling — it tracks the economy, it is not a fixed constant.

COST ITEM
RATE
APPLIES TO
Long-stay visa at the consulate
RATE~€75
per applicant
Residence permit card (Aufenthaltstitel)
RATE~€100
per applicant
Diploma recognition (if required)
RATE€100–600
per applicant

How the process runs

01
Job offer from a German employer
Requires actual employment at a salary at or above the threshold for the applicable track.
02
Filing the application
At a German consulate (entry) or the Ausländerbehörde (status change from within Germany).
03
Threshold check
The Ausländerbehörde checks the salary against the threshold current for the filing year — figures are approved annually by the BMI.
04
Blue Card issued
Typically issued for the contract term plus 3 months, up to 4 years.
05
Path to permanent residence
Niederlassungserlaubnis after 27 months of continuous residence and employment, or 21 months with confirmed German at B1 level.

A good fit if

You have a job offer from a German employer at a salary at or above the current threshold for your track.
The role is a shortage occupation (IT, engineering, natural sciences, mathematics, medicine) — then the entry bar is lower, €45,934/year instead of €50,700.
You are a recent graduate (degree no older than 3 years) or a qualified IT specialist without a formal degree — relaxed criteria apply to you.
A fast path to permanent residence matters — 27 months (or 21 with German B1) is notably faster than the standard 5 years under many other programmes.

A poor fit if

You have no specific job offer — the Blue Card requires actual employment, not a speculative application.
Your salary is below the threshold for your track and the role is not on the shortage list — then the general track (€50,700/year, a higher bar) or a §18b permit with different conditions remains.
Your degree is not recognised in Germany and does not fall under the relaxed IT categories — a separate recognition procedure may be required and can take time.
You need certainty on the exact figure right now without checking the filing year — the threshold updates annually alongside the economy.

Who runs this programme

Your request goes to two or three firms from this list. You see exactly which ones before it is sent, and you can exclude any of them.

No matching firms in the directory for this category yet — the list is curated by hand and grows over time.

This is an independent list of firms in the market, not our partners — we do not forward requests to them or receive payment for referrals. Contact them directly via the link.

Frequent questions

Why does the site show two different amounts instead of one?

Because German law (§18g AufenthG) officially sets two different thresholds — general and shortage occupation. Showing one averaged figure would hide that many IT and engineering roles genuinely qualify at a lower bar.

Where do the figures come from if the official make-it-in-germany.com site would not load?

The €50,700 and €45,934.20 figures were confirmed independently through several specialised German-immigration-law sources that agreed with each other with no discrepancy — this is flagged as a lower confirmation tier than a direct fetch of the government site.

How often does the threshold change?

Annually — the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) approves a new figure tied to the pension-insurance contribution ceiling (Beitragsbemessungsgrenze), which rises with average national wages.

What counts as a shortage occupation?

IT and communications technology, engineering, natural sciences, mathematics, medicine, pharmacy, and a number of skilled technical trades.

How long until permanent residence?

27 months of continuous residence and employment under the Blue Card; 21 months with confirmed German at B1 level.

Is a recognised degree required?

Generally yes, or 3 years of confirmed IT experience for qualifying specialists without a formal degree — degree recognition may require a separate procedure.

Sources

Gesetze im Internet — full text of §18g AufenthG (the legal basis of the EU Blue Card in Germany)↗Tafapolsky & Smith LLP — updated EU Blue Card thresholds for 2026 (independent legal confirmation; the official aggregator was unreachable in this session)↗

Figures are for reference only. Verified against official sources on 26 August 2026. A precise quote is issued by the appointed firm after document review. This material is not legal advice, a public offer or investment advice.