Shortly after the conclusion of the migration agreement between Germany and Kenya, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser signed a comprehensive migration and mobility partnership agreement with the Republic of Uzbekistan in Samarkand. The agreement is intended to address Germany’s skilled worker shortage through regulated immigration. It also contains comprehensive rules for returning citizens of Uzbekistan who are required to leave Germany. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Uzbekistan’s President Shakvat Mirziyoyev also attended the signing ceremony. Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov signed the agreement on behalf of Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan is an important and reliable partner of Germany in Central Asia. The agreement represents a milestone in cooperation between Germany and Uzbekistan.

At the signing ceremony, Federal Minister Faeser thanked the Uzbek side for the trusting and effective cooperation.

Recruiting skilled workers from Uzbekistan

The agreement enables Germany and Uzbekistan to work together in a spirit of trust to boost regular labour migration over the long term.

While Germany needs more skilled workers in many fields, many young people in Uzbekistan are interested in gaining skills through high-quality education and training in Germany, as well in jobs in Germany. "Uzbekistan is an important partner of ours in Central Asia. It holds major potential in terms of well-trained, productive skilled worker," said Dr Joachim Stamp, Federal Government Special Commissioner for Migration Agreements, who led the negotiations on the German side. The negotiations on the agreement were successfully concluded within a year and a half after Commissioner Stamp signed a joint declaration of intent with Uzbekistan on migration and mobility.

The agreement’s provisions on immigration by skilled workers reflect key principles set forth in the new Skilled Immigration Act. The agreement also provides for cooperation partnerships on vocational training and facilitates mobility for students and trainees in Germany.

Curbing irregular migration and cooperating on returns

Reducing irregular migration is another important component of the agreement. The migration agreement between Germany and Uzbekistan provides detailed provisions on the readmission of Uzbek citizens. This will make it much easier to return those people to their country of origin who are required to leave Germany. There are currently 13,702 citizens of Uzbekistan in Germany, including 203 people required to leave the country.

Migration agreements with other countries

The Federal Government is in the midst of confidential talks and negotiations with multiple countries. These include Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Colombia, Morocco, Ghana and the Philippines, along with other countries.

The migration agreement that was concluded with Georgia in December 2023 shows that such agreements work: the number of asylum applications filed by Georgians in Germany between January and May 2024 was 68 per cent lower than in the same period in 2023.

Migration partnerships are specifically tailored to each country. Some of them are based on international treaties, while others are based on memorandums of understanding (MoUs) or the establishment of bilateral working structures for practical and trusting cooperation.