Section 27 and 28 of the Residence Act contain provisions on the immigration of family members for the purpose of famiy reunion. These provisions apply to spouses, children and same-sex partners who wish to come to Germany in order to join a German relative. A same-sex partnership is a civil union similar to marriage which has been recognised in Germany since 2001.

The number of foreign students who choose to come to Germany in order to study at German universities is growing continuously. Since 1999, the number has increased by 50 percent and in 2003/04 there were almost 250,000 foreign students studying in Germany. This is a total of 17.4 percent of all students in Germany. While only 26.7 percent of the foreign students completed high school in Germany, 73.3 percent are so called “educational foreigners” who immigrate after the completion of the university entrance diploma.

The new immigration regulation also welcomes self-employed immigrants -- provided they invest a minimum of €1 million ($1.4 million) and create 10 new jobs. The law also tackles a crucial deterrent to highly-qualified immigrants: bureaucracy. People who wish to work in Germany will thus receive a work and residence permit at one central place, such as the German Embassy in their home country.