IT-specialists in the information and communi-cations technology sector are needed – for example, software and multi-media developers and programmers, circuit and IT-system de-velopers , IT-consultants, and systems, Internet, and network specialists.

To work for a company in Germany, you will need a work permit and a residence permit. The first work permit within the IT-program framework must be applied for within three years after the program is launched.

Computer specialists with university or polytech-nic college degrees-Bachelor's or Mas-ter's Degrees–in any IT-related subject, such as computer science or communications engineering are eligible. Specialists without a college degree can only work in Germany if the employer agrees in writing to pay an annual salary of DM 100,000 or more, before taxes and deductions.

The Federal Employment Agency is setting up an Online Job Fair for applicants starting in mid-June, 2000, where you can introduce yourself and present your curriculum vitae. Companies will also post job openings in this online fair. Contact: www.arbeitsamt.de.

Besides this job fair, the Zentralstelle fuer Arbeitsvermittlung?(ZAV) in Bonn is responsible for job placement of foreigners. You may contact ZAV at the following e-mail address: Bonn-ZAV.IT-Experts@arbeitsamt.de. This and other e-mail and postal addresses may be found at the end of this brochure.

Of course, you may also apply directly to a compa-ny in Germany, for example, in reply to an ad in a trade magazine or on the Internet. If this ad is directed at all potential candidates without naming any specific countries of origin, feel free to respond. If, however, you are specifically recruited in your home country by a newspaper ad, a com-pany employee or a private employment agency, you should make sure that this recruitment is legal! Ask to see a written permit from the Federal Employment Agency or from a state employment office in Germany. No private employment agency is allowed to charge you a fee to find you a job.

Normally, your prospective employer will apply for a written notice of intent to issue a work permit on your behalf at the local employment office.

The only documents required are proof of a uni-versity or technical college degree in information or communications technology. This is not neces-sary if the employer provides a written pledge to pay the applicant an annual salary of DM 100,000 or more, before taxes and deductions.

The Employment Office will quickly verify that the position in question cannot be filled by a German or EU-specialist. It will also make sure that the applicant has the required qualifica-tions and that the prospective employer will provide the same salary and working conditions for foreign specialists as for equally qualified German specialists.

Everything possible is being done to make these procedures as fast and transparent as possible, and to reduce red tape. As soon as your em-ployer has submitted all the paperwork, the Employment Office will make a decision within one week. If the Employment Office provides your employer a written notice of its intention to issue you a work permit before you arrive in Germany, this statement can serve as a valid work permit for the first three months of your employment in Germany. That way, you can go straight to work!

As soon as you have written notice that you will be issued a work permit, you will need preliminary approval from the Immigration Office for a visa. The federal government wants this approval to be routinely granted by the highest state authorities. Afterwards, you can go to the Ger-man embassy or consulate in your country and apply for an entrance visa. This visa will normally be issued within several days. Please make sure that your passport is still valid, and renew it if necessary.

The first thing you need to do is to register at city hall (at the "Einwohnermeldeamt"? or at the Immigration Office ("Auslaederamt"?. At the Immigration Office you must apply for a residence permit. For this, you will need a written contract of employment and your visa. Within three months time, you need to apply for a work permit at your local employment office, and for this you will also need a written contract of employment and your visa. Normally, you will be issued a work permit and a residence permit within a few days.

The work permit is issued in accordance with the length of your employment contract, but may not exceed five years.

After the issue of a first work permit, other per-mits may also be issued within the IT-specialist program. But the total duration of these work permits combined may not exceed five years. There will not be another check to see if the job could be filled by a German or EU-specialist. The other requirements however, for example those concerning comparable salary and working con-ditions, must still be met.

No. A work permit and a residence permit may be issued right after graduation with an IT-degree from a German university or technical college, so that no time is lost. This is also true if the applicant is working on a doctorate or a habilitation in Germany. If you have a job offer, apply for a work permit at the Employment Office. You may obtain a residence permit at the Immigration Office. Your prospective employer will probably be glad to take care of the work permit for you.

In principle, this is possible. German trade regula-tions for starting a company do not differentiate between Germans and foreigners. But since youcame to Germany to work as an employee, your residence permit will include restrictions that pro-hibit you from any form of self-employment or comparable work. Upon request, these restrictions may be lifted – this is decided on a case-to-case basis. The main criteria here is that the applicant has a solid concept for starting a company and that the Chamber of Industry and Commerce give the concept its seal of approval.

Yes. If you have received notification that you will be issued a work permit and you were mar-ried before coming to Germany, you may bring your spouse and unmarried children under 18 with you right away. During the visa process, you must also provide proof that you will have adequate housing in Germany for a family. If you do not have adequate housing available before your arrival, you may send for your family once you have found a suitable place to live. In this case, please contact your local Immigration Office. Two years after arriving in Germany, your spouse is eligible for a work permit.

Please be sure to ask your employer for assis-tance in finding adequate housing before you come to Germany. Your employer will most likely be happy to help.

To start with, 10,000 work permits will be issued. After that, a monitoring procedure will be carried out to determine if there is a need for 10,000 more IT-specialists.

The necessary legal changes to streamline and simplify procedures are due to go into effect in early August, 2000. After that, it will be possi-ble to admit the first foreign IT-specialists without delay.