German government reaches compromise on immigration reform

Berlin (dpa) - Germany‘s coalition government has reached an agreement on immigration reform, which Berlin hopes will make the country more attractive to skilled workers from around the world.The announcement by Social Democratic party (SPD) leader Andrea Nahles came in the early hours of Tuesday, following a six-hour meeting with the leaders of Chancellor Angela Merkel‘s Christian Democratic party (CDU).New legislation will put industry shortages and immigrants‘ qualifications at the centre of immigration policy. Additionally, the process for recognizing foreign qualifications will be speeded up.It will also be made easier for would-be immigrants to learn German before they arrive.Germany has an ageing population and needs immigrants to prop up its economy, however Merkel‘s opening of the borders to refugees in 2015 has complicated the issue, with many voters objecting to the influx.The SPD had wanted asylum seekers who had found work but who had been rejected to be able to remain, but the CDU‘s Bavarian sister party, the CSU, had pushed back against the idea, arguing it would encourage unskilled migration.A paper summarizing the agreement seen by dpa said that the basic policy of separating of asylum seekers and economic migrants would be maintained.However, it also said that criteria defining the status of asylum seekers who had been rejected but could not return home - for example because of the risk of torture - would be clarified, allowing some exemptions.