Western Balkans quota full: what it means for the vacancy you want to fill

What does it mean for your vacancy when the Western Balkans quota is full?

A full Western Balkans quota means the approvals available under that rule are used up for the period concerned. Your job has not been assessed and turned down on its merits. The legal basis is § 26 (2) BeschV, which limits how many approvals may be given per calendar year. Legal position as of 1 September 2026.

Two separate queues sit between your job offer and the first working day. One is the labour market approval from the Federal Employment Agency. The other is the visa appointment at the competent German mission in the candidate's country. The missions allocate appointments under their own published registration rules.

Treat the file and the capacity as two different problems. The file is yours to control: contract, job description, working time, pay and the declaration on the employment relationship. The capacity is not. No recruiter and no adviser can move a vacancy up one of these queues.

Is the Western Balkans quota one annual number or a monthly share per country?

The cap is an annual figure: 50,000 approvals per calendar year under § 26 (2) BeschV. On its page for companies, the Federal Employment Agency explains that these approvals are spread across months and nationalities, and that it does not set the monthly shares itself. Applications can be processed while the share for that month is still open. Legal position as of 1 September 2026.

A halving of the quota to 25,000 appears in the coalition agreement. It is not applicable law. Plan with the rule in force and follow the official pages of the Federal Employment Agency and of the competent German mission rather than press summaries.

Western Balkans route or a skilled-worker route: which one fits the vacancy?

Both columns end at the same place: an authority decides. The Federal Employment Agency rules on the approval, the German mission on the visa. Switching route changes the requirements you have to document, not who holds the decision.

Which routes into German employment do not draw on the Western Balkans quota?

Several residence titles for employment exist outside the Western Balkans rule and do not draw on its 50,000 approvals. Each has its own requirements, and the authorities decide each case individually. Legal position as of 1 September 2026.

• Skilled worker with vocational training (§ 18a AufenthG): the foreign qualification has to be recognised as equivalent by the competent body.
• Skilled worker with an academic qualification (§ 18b AufenthG): based on a degree that is recognised or comparable.
• EU Blue Card (§ 18g AufenthG): for graduate-level jobs that meet the salary requirement set out in that provision.
• Recognition and qualification measures (§ 16d AufenthG): entry while the qualification is being brought up to the German level, including a recognition partnership.
• Company vocational training (§ 16a AufenthG): the candidate is trained in your company instead of arriving with a finished qualification.
• Opportunity Card (§ 20a AufenthG) with the points system in § 20b AufenthG: a permit for job search, not an employment approval for a named job.
• Short-term quota-based employment: the Federal Employment Agency describes this as a separate route with its own quota on its page for companies.

Whether one of these fits depends on the job and on the candidate's papers. A helper role without a formal qualification requirement will rarely map onto a skilled-worker title. A role you can redesign around a recognised trade may.

What can you do now for a vacancy waiting behind the Western Balkans quota?

Use the closed period to remove everything that could hold the file up later. The points below are preparation steps for employers; none of them creates an entitlement to an approval or a visa.

• Complete the employment documents: contract or binding job offer, job description, working time, pay, and the declaration on the employment relationship used by the Federal Employment Agency.
• Consider pre-approval (Vorabzustimmung). The Federal Employment Agency describes this procedure for employers on its own page, and German missions point employers to it before a visa application.
• Check the exclusion early: under § 26 (2) BeschV there is no approval if the candidate received benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act in the 24 months before the application. Legal position as of 1 September 2026.
• For candidates aged 45 and over, the Federal Employment Agency sets an additional requirement for the first approval. Our page on the salary threshold or proof of old-age provision at age 45 explains what to look at.
• Read the registration and appointment rules of the German mission responsible for your candidate, and follow them to the letter.
• If the candidate holds a vocational qualification, start the recognition procedure. It runs independently of the quota.

Who decides: Federal Employment Agency, German mission or immigration office?

The Federal Employment Agency decides on the labour market approval, the competent German mission decides on the visa, and the local immigration office handles the residence permit after entry. Hirenord is a private recruitment agency, not a German authority, and cannot grant or guarantee an approval, a pre-approval or a visa. Our page on what the employer does and what the authorities do sets out the division of tasks.

The priority check has been suspended since 3 November 2023. That does not make an approval automatic. The Federal Employment Agency still examines whether pay and working conditions are comparable to those of comparable domestic employees, and decides each case individually. Our page on advertising the job in Germany first explains what the suspension does and does not cover. Legal position as of 1 September 2026.

What can you prepare for the recognition of a foreign qualification while the quota is closed?

Recognition of a foreign qualification is the one piece of work that does not depend on the Western Balkans quota at all. The federal portal Anerkennung in Deutschland explains that the competent body differs from profession to profession and that an application can be filed from abroad. Its FAQ lists the documents that are typically required.

• Proof of the professional qualification, for example the certificate and the list of subjects and hours
• Evidence of relevant work experience
• A tabular list of training courses and jobs, in German
• Proof of identity
• Translations, where the competent body asks for them

Whether the qualification is treated as equivalent is for the competent recognition body to decide. If equivalence is established, skilled-worker routes come into reach that are not tied to the Western Balkans quota. If you want candidates from Albania and Kosovo sourced and pre-screened while you settle the route, you can register your vacancy as an employer.