Moving to Germany from Africa
Germany recruits skilled workers worldwide, Africa included. The path is the same everywhere: get your qualification recognised, reach the required level of German, obtain your visa. Here's how it unfolds, with Cameroon as a concrete example.
Germany is hiring, everywhere
A lasting shortage of skilled labour is pushing Germany to open its doors well beyond Europe. Its Skilled Immigration Act (Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz) addresses nationals worldwide: what counts is not your country but your qualification, your level of German and your plan. For an African applicant the door is real, provided you prepare it in the right order.
Three conditions, the same everywhere
Whatever country you start from, your case rests on three pillars.
Qualification recognition
Your diploma or experience must be recognised as equivalent in Germany: the Anerkennung. The most technical step, and the first to prepare.
German
B2 is the standard level employers and authorities expect. Even from scratch it can be built, that's our job.
The visa
Once recognition and, usually, a job offer are in place, the national visa is applied for at the German mission in your country.
The procedure, country by country
The visa isn't applied for in Germany but from home: at the German embassy or consulate in your country of residence. In many African countries, submitting the file and booking the appointment go through an appointed provider, often VFS Global, which receives the documents on behalf of the German mission. The decision always stays with the embassy. Fees, timelines and centres vary from country to country: this is the one place your journey becomes truly local.
A specific case: Cameroon
Karriere Fähre was born in Douala. It's the country we know best, and the starting point we support end to end, on the ground.
Everything begins with German, in Douala (Bonamoussadi), up to the required level. In parallel we prepare your qualification recognition and assemble the file, in person.
The national visa is then applied for in Yaoundé, at the German mission, via VFS Global: the Videx form online, then an appointment to submit documents and fingerprints. Since late 2025, an expanded VFS Global centre in Yaoundé has increased processing capacity (students, apprentices and skilled workers).
Sources: German Embassy Yaoundé and VFS Global (2025-2026). Official fees, timelines and terms change; the decision to grant the visa belongs to the embassy alone.
What we do for you
From Africa to Germany, at every step:
- ✓Assessing your profile and choosing the pathway
- ✓German training up to the required level
- ✓Recognition of your qualification (Anerkennung)
- ✓Assembling the file and preparing the visa
- ✓The link with employers in Germany
Your project starts here
Have your profile assessed: we'll tell you the pathway that fits and the steps to prepare.
ApplyA question about your country or your situation? Contact us