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Skilled-worker visa (§ 18a / § 18b): hiring Filipino workers with a recognised qualification

The classic route: the qualification is recognised as equivalent first, the visa follows. Slower than the experience route, but it delivers the German title from day one and suits regulated professions and employers who need it.

Direct employer · you sponsorDMW-licensed agency in Manila · EU delivery entity in PragueReviewed 11.09.2026

When it is the right route

Regulated professions where the title is the job — nursing after the licence, electricians where the employer's insurer or customer requires the German qualification — and any employer who wants the recognised title from the first day. For Filipino degrees the ZAB statement of comparability is usually straightforward; for trades the Handwerkskammer or IHK FOSA compares the Philippine training to the German Ausbildung, and short-course certificates typically receive partial equivalence with compensation measures.

The sequence

  • Recognition application with the competent authority — file prepared in Manila (apostilled certificates, transcripts, employer references).
  • Equivalence decision — full, or partial with a compensation measure to be completed in Germany (§ 16d qualification permit).
  • Employment contract; Federal Employment Agency approval (pre-approval available).
  • Visa at the German Embassy in Manila, or the § 81a fast-track procedure at your Ausländerbehörde under power of attorney.
  • Philippine chain in parallel: MWO Berlin accreditation, DMW registration, contract verification, OEC.

When the experience route is faster

For diploma-holding technicians in tariff-bound companies, the experience route skips recognition entirely; we recommend it wherever the German title is not required. Everything here is subject to applicable German recognition, immigration, licensing and labour-law requirements.

Frequently asked questions

  • How long does trade recognition take?

    Three to six months from a complete file; longer if a compensation measure is required.

  • Can partial equivalence still lead to a visa?

    Yes — the worker enters on a qualification permit (§ 16d) to complete the compensation measure, or uses the recognition partnership.

  • Is there a priority check?

    No — for skilled workers the priority check was abolished; the BA checks conditions of employment.