German Elections 2025: CDU and SPD Enter Coalition Talks After Close Results

Following Germany’s parliamentary elections on 23 February 2025, the conservative CDU (28.5%) initiated preliminary coalition discussions with the Social Democrats (SPD, 16.4%). A CDU-SPD alliance is crucial for securing a parliamentary majority in the Bundestag and forming a new government.

On 8 March, both parties released an 11-page joint memo (“Sondierungspapier”) outlining their initial agreements. A key takeaway is that a CDU-SPD coalition would maintain the current openness for labour migration while tightening restrictions on humanitarian migration.

This document serves as the foundation for formal coalition negotiations, which began on Thursday, 12 March, and are expected to continue until the Easter holiday in late April. Once finalised, CDU leader Friedrich Merz is set to be elected Chancellor by the coalition's MPs.

Germany’s 2025 Immigration Outlook

• • • Work Visa Stability: Little change is to be expected in existing work visa categories, such as the EU Blue Card, the regular skilled permit or the new experience-based work permit. The work permit categories have seen a major overhaul with the FEG 2.0 in 2023 and 2024 under the leadership of the Scholz government. The only suggested adjustment is a reduction in the Western Balkans work visa quota from 50,000 to 25,000 annually.
    • Immigration Administration Overhaul: A top priority for the new government is modernising immigration processes, with a strong push for digitalisation. Plans include launching a “Digital Agency for Skilled Worker Immigration”—a unified online platform for visa, work permits and degree recognition applications—streamlining bureaucracy without adding new physical offices.
    • Citizenship Law Stability: No major changes are to be expected in citizenship law. The recent reform, which introduced dual citizenship and brought down the residence times from eight to five years, is likely to remain in place.
    • Stricter Humanitarian Migration Policies: Measures to limit asylum entries include potential border rejections—implemented only in coordination with neighbouring countries—increased deportations and repatriations to Afghanistan and Syria, Germany’s main source countries for asylum seekers. This approach reflects a compromise, as conservatives pushed for unilateral rejections, while the SPD prioritised agreements with neighbouring states to prevent refugee backlogs in Austria and other bordering nations.

Awaiting Final Coalition Agreement

As coalition negotiations between the CDU and SPD progress, many immigration policy details remain fluid. While the preliminary agreements provide a general direction, the final coalition treaty—expected to be finalised late next month—will offer a more comprehensive and definitive framework. This agreement may not only confirm existing proposals but could also introduce new measures or alter previously discussed policies.

Key questions remain, including how work visa regulations will evolve, the extent of planned digitalisation reforms, and the specifics of humanitarian migration restrictions. The finalised treaty will determine the long-term direction of Germany’s immigration landscape under the new government.

Stay tuned for Fragomen’s second election memo, where the German team will provide a detailed analysis of the coalition treaty and its policy implications.

Need to Know More?

For questions related to the German immigration landscape, please contact Partner Marius Tollenaere at [email protected].

This blog was published on 17 March 2025, and due to the circumstances, there are frequent changes. To keep up to date with all the latest updates on global immigration, please subscribe to our alerts and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.