Choose your recruitment option (contact the zentralstelle fuer Arbeitsvermittlung?(ZAV); go directly to your local employment office; open recruitment, such as advertising job openings on your homepage or recruiting at German universities; or recruitment targeted at foreign specialists ? with permission by the Federal Employment Service ? through specific ads, company employees, a third party or private employment agencies.

Check your applicant’s qualifications and diplomas.

Request to have the diploma in German or at least in an English translation speeds up the process.

Apply to your local employment office on behalf of your employee for notice of intention to issue a work permit.

Afterwards, take this notice of intention to issue a work permit to the immigration office and apply for preliminary approval for a visa. This procedure may be further simpli-fied and the preliminary approval for a visa routinely issued by the highest state authorities.

Send the written notice of intent to issue a work permit to your new employee as soon as possible (He or she will need it to apply for a visa).

Provide support and assistance for your new employee, for example, in finding adequate housing.

Make sure the IT-specialist registers at the einwohner-meldeamt or immigration office. In addition, he or she must apply for a work permit at the local employment agency within three months and apply for a residence permit from the local immigration office.

If you decide to extend your employee’s contract within the five year period, or if a new foreign specialist comes to you through a job change: apply for a new work permit.