Scientifically based best practices set new standards in public administration
Hamburg, October 1, 2025 – As part of the Global Mobility Expert Panel*, the best immigration authorities (ABHs) in the DACH region were once again honored with the TOP ABH Award** this year. The Business Immigration Office Linz and the Linz Municipal Authority were honored in the area of digitalization, the “International Organizations” office of the Bonn Foreigners' Registration Office for outstanding service orientation, the Düsseldorf Municipal Foreigners' Registration Office for the fastest processing times, and the Braunschweig Foreigners' Registration Office for the best accessibility.
The initiative by ICUnet.AG*** highlights excellent work by authorities, promotes the transfer of best practices, and thus strengthens the international competitiveness of Germany, Austria, and, in the future, Switzerland.
Prof. Dr. Janina Klein on the importance of skilled worker migration
During the award ceremony, Prof. Dr. Janina Klein from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam placed the awards in the context of skilled labor migration and explained why the award is of central importance: "Because we are currently at a decisive point: Germany and Austria are heavily dependent on the immigration of skilled workers if we want to secure our prosperity and innovative strength. And the immigration authorities – often inconspicuous in the background – play a key role in this."
Klein illustrated the relevance with figures: At the end of 2024, around 14 million foreign nationals were living in Germany; just under 7 million needed a residence permit – over 750,000 new applications in 2024 alone, mainly in North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria. The growth in employment in recent years would not have been possible without immigration: 89% of the increase in employment subject to social insurance contributions in five years was accounted for by foreign workers.
Austria recorded 572,606 valid residence permits at the end of 2024 – an increase of over 150,000 within ten years. While Germany is striving to accelerate and increase its attractiveness with the Skilled Immigration Act and changes to nationality law, Austria is focusing heavily on targeted titles such as the Red-White-Red Card for shortage occupations; the largest group comes from Bosnia.
Klein emphasized the differences in the systems with regard to provisional residence permits: in Germany, they are now part of everyday life – a symptom of the fact that processing times are still too long in many places. In Austria, on the other hand, this instrument does not exist at all, which makes processes appear clearer, but also places higher demands on speed and reliability.
With around 292,000 naturalizations, Germany reached a historic high in 2024 (+46% compared to the previous year), particularly from Syria, Turkey, and Iraq. Austria recorded over 21,800 naturalizations in 2024, mainly Syrian, Turkish, Afghan, and US citizens. While Germany benefits from shorter deadlines and simplifications in citizenship law, Austria remains more restrictive.
When asked why this award is so important, Klein replied: "We often hear that immigration authorities are the bottleneck. That's exactly the point: they can be the bottleneck – or the door opener. (...) With the ABH Award, we honor the best – not only to recognize them, but so that others can learn from them. (...) My sincere thanks go to the ICUnet.Group (...) as a true thought leader."
High-profile voices from business and politics
The panel of experts included entrepreneurs from ICUnet.AG, Siemens, Evonik, and RWE, who joined the honored government representatives in discussing the direct impact of their (collaborative) work:
On the role of smooth administrative processes in skilled immigration, especially for the energy transition, Eric Gangey, Head of Global Shared Services HR, RWE Generation SE, and host of this expert panel, said: "For RWE, the energy transition means new technologies (...) and the number of university graduates is not necessarily sufficient. (...) For us [at RWE], the integration of foreign skilled workers (...) is therefore essential (...) Of course, it is also important that we do not lose any time in the recruitment and integration process. I believe that this can only work well if we [work together with the authorities and service providers such as ICUnet.AG] (...) An award like this shows that there are indeed good examples out there. And it also rewards those who are striving for change within the structures."
Also present in person was Anna Gallina, Senator for Justice & Consumer Protection of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. She emphasized the legal and structural perspective and explained what the Welcome Center Hamburg is focusing on in order to make it onto the ABH Award winners' podium in the future: "For us, it is crucial that we build structures that work for the needs, which is why we have this Welcome Center (...) and we want to relieve people of their concerns about the big bureaucratic jungle and adapt to what they need – both on the company side and on the employee side – and in this way promote the best integration into the labor market. That's why we focus on low thresholds, no longer just the official language of German, as was the case in the past, because that alone causes so many misunderstandings (...) and also really try to map out as much as possible of what is necessary for a foreign skilled worker to arrive here, rather than playing ping-pong between jurisdictions. We are preoccupied with big questions, such as how we can speed up procedures on the judicial side, for example, and how we can come up with good regulations that are appropriate to what we actually need, so that we don't get in our own way with regulations."
The award winners at a glance – some of them honored once again
The Business Immigration Office Linz & Magistrat Linz, honored last year for its excellent service orientation, came out on top this year with the best digitalization and was represented by Thomas Roßgatterer and Lisa Kern. The authority was instrumental in the design and implementation of “AnNa” (application for settlement and residence) for the whole of Austria. After piloting in Linz, the system has been in use nationwide since 2022/2023. The result is fast, reliable data exchange with embassies (within days instead of weeks), smooth electronic file transfer when changing residence, and precise, efficient, and virtually error-free processes. Since 2008, a digital appointment booking system has been supporting citizens, companies, and newcomers. Innovation is also being consistently driven forward: through the use of internal AI, processes can be specifically tested and optimized, for example in complaint management.
This year, the “International Organizations” office of the Bonn Foreigners' Registration Office was honored for its excellent service orientation, having already been recognized in 2024 for its outstanding ‘accessibility’ and “processing time.” This makes the office a pioneer in Germany. It acts as a central point of contact for colleges, universities, and global players in Bonn. For Angelika Zilles, service orientation means meeting people where they are – with transparency about appointment schedules and next steps. Customer focus, professional communication, and clear processes create trust and facilitate integration. Bonn builds bridges – between cultures, administration, and society, between arrival and participation.
Rana Bhattacharjee and Frank Rodemann from the Düsseldorf Municipal Foreigners' Registration Office were present to accept the award for the shortest processing time. With a clear objective – to provide swift, reliable, and respectful support – Düsseldorf has significantly reduced processing times, introduced online applications, and modernized communication. Since March 2025, a new customer center has been supporting people upon their initial arrival. Düsseldorf also courageously opened emergency walk-in appointments without appointments: after an initial rush, the volume leveled off – thanks to digital applications and more efficient processes, spontaneous visits are becoming less and less necessary.
In the category of best accessibility, the award went to the Braunschweig Foreigners' Registration Office, presented virtually to Philipp Scholz. The Braunschweig office stands for direct, reliable responsiveness. Urgent matters are recognized and short-term appointments are offered whenever possible – a strong signal of flexibility, responsibility, and citizen-friendliness.
Identifying beacons and improving the welcoming culture
Tobias Nehls, Head of Global Mobility Management at Siemens and member of the expert panel, summarizes the event as follows: "I think it's extremely important (...) to identify and highlight the beacons in response to the ICUnet initiative (...). In Germany, the federal and municipal structure makes many things more complicated. When service providers [such as ICUnet.AG together with the Global Mobility Expert Panel] ensure that excellent authorities also receive appropriate recognition (...), we all contribute to improving processes everywhere. For us [at Siemens], this is absolutely critical to success."
Further information on this topic:
For further information / press contact:
Alessa Zehe | Team Lead Marketing & PR, ICUnet.AG
alessa.zehe@icunet.group | +49 851 988666-889
ICUnet.AG, Fritz-Schäffer-Promenade 1, 94032 Passau, Germany
*About the expert panel:
The panel of experts for “Global Mobility” organized by ICUnet.AG includes renowned companies such as BMW, Merck Group, Schwarz Group, Henkel, RWE, Volkswagen, Barry Callebaut, OMV, Siemens, Evonik, Allianz, and Sanofi. They meet four times a year to discuss topics related to global mobility and skilled labor recruitment, as well as ways to improve immigration processes.
About the TOP ABH Award:
The TOP ABH Award is presented annually to outstanding immigration authorities in the DACH region. Prof. Dr. Janina Klein explains the scientific basis of the award as follows: In 2024, focus groups with the global mobility and relocation consultants of ICUnet.Group identified outstanding immigration authorities in the four focus areas of digitalization, accessibility, service orientation, and processing time. This was followed by qualitative, semi-structured interviews with representatives of the authorities; an expert panel evaluated the results and highlighted best practices. This year, the approach was expanded: external global mobility/relocation consultants, HR managers, and (former) expats were also surveyed. The larger sample increases the validity and puts even more focus on real experiences. The aim is to highlight best practices, provide learning opportunities, and further develop the work of public authorities in line with international requirements.
About ICUnet.AG:
Founded in Passau in 2001 and now represented at over 20 locations worldwide, ICUnet.AG specializes in skilled worker migration and global talent strategies. As the European market leader in intercultural consulting and global mobility, it is active in over 75 countries.
The interdisciplinary and intercultural team of experts has already provided relocation and immigration services for more than 40,000 skilled workers worldwide. With more than 80 awards to its name, ICUnet.AG is the most frequently honored company in its industry, trusted by more than 24 DAX, 22 Euro Stoxx, and more than 450 medium-sized companies.
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