Minister Laumann: We help foreign nurses get started in Germany
“Welcome money NRW” in the amount of 3,000 euros for foreign nursing professionals
Minister of Labor and Health Karl-Josef Laumann wants to make it easier for foreign nurses to start their careers in North Rhine-Westphalia with a “NRW welcome money” of 3,000 euros. The offer is aimed at people from non-EU countries who have already worked as nursing staff in their home country and have decided to move to Germany.
Until their professional qualifications are fully recognised, they often have to go through an adjustment qualification here and can only work as nursing assistants with correspondingly lower pay during their initial period in Germany.
“The corona pandemic has exacerbated the shortage of skilled workers in nursing. That’s why, in addition to improvements in training and further education, we are also relying on the immigration of foreign skilled workers,” said Minister Laumann. “With the welcome money, we want to make it easier for them to decide to take up work in North Rhine-Westphalia and help them with a new start.” Laumann emphasized that the offer is also expressly aimed at care workers who have fled from the Ukraine.
The “Welcome Money NRW” is intended, among other things, to cushion the costs of the visa and entry permit, accommodation upon entry, initial furnishing of the apartment and subsistence in the recognition procedure. Basic knowledge of German is already a prerequisite for the nursing staff. However, in addition to the professional adjustment qualification, they often also have to take part in additional, job-specific language courses in order to be able to work as a nursing specialist in Germany.
In order to receive the “Welcome Money NRW”, the foreign nursing staff must present their residence permit issued in North Rhine-Westphalia, the interim notification of the district government of Münster on the professional recognition procedure and an employment contract as a nursing staff at a workplace in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The central office for the implementation of the “Welcome Money NRW” is the State Trade Promotion Office of North Rhine-Westphalian Crafts (LGH). The LGH is home to the “Office for the Coordination of the Immigration of Skilled Workers”, which takes care of skilled workers of all professions, including those in the healthcare sector. Due to her many years of experience, she offers good prerequisites for efficiently organizing the payment of the “Welcome Money NRW”.
A total of 2,500 people can be supported with the “Welcome Money NRW”. Up to 7.5 million euros from EU funds are available for this.
The LGH has set up a website on the “Welcome Money NRW” (www.willkommensgeld.lgh.nrw) to provide information to interested parties, and the Ministry is also preparing a corresponding flyer.
(Translated via Google Translate) Original Article: https://www.mags.nrw/pressemitteilung/minister-laumann-wir-helfen-auslaendischen-pflegekraeften-beim-start-deutschland